Never Alone
by jamese765
Summary: Two years have passed since the end of "We're A Team", and Clementine has found herself on her own. Without Kenny or Jeff, she struggles, until one fateful day she meets a man trying to save his family from the group known as The New Frontier. New and old faces come together as the adventure continues. (Rated T for the expected violence)
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

" _They're closing in! Clem, get AJ and get out of here! I'll take Abby and we'll meet back up with you, when we can!"_

" _No, Jeff! We can't split up!"_

" _We have no choice! It's that or we all die!"_

 _The walkers closed in on her, as she held AJ close, while Jeff took several out to protect the little girl on his back. Seeing an opening, she ran, watching as Jeff and Abby fled the other way. It hurt to see them vanish into the trees, but she knew they all had to keep going._

" _AJ, come on! We're getting out of this mess!"_

 _She didn't stop. She didn't look back. She just kept running._

As she stood alone in the woods, Clementine fought hard to keep the memories from overwhelming her. It hurt to think about how she had lost everyone to a variety of things. She was alone and had been for months. The last time she remembered being alone was for less than a day, way back when she had escaped a walker infested Savannah, Georgia. In the span of a week, she had lost it all: Katjaa, Duck, Omid, Christa, Chuck,...and Lee. Though she barely knew some of them, it still hurt to think that they gave their lives, just so she could live. The same had happened with the cabin group. Luke, Nick, Pete, Carlos, Sarah, Alvin, Rebecca….all gone. In the end, all she had were Kenny, AJ, Jeff, and Abby. Now, she had no one and had been fighting hard to survive, without help.

As she continued to dwell on the past, she heard a noise. Cautiously, she moved closer to the nearby road, where she saw a truck. "Perfect," she said to herself, before moving to spring her trap.


	2. Chapter 1

**A New Adventure**

 _This guy just won't listen to me._ Javier was desperate to get the man driving the truck to turn around and take him back to the junkyard, but he was as stubborn as a mule. "I'm not gonna go against orders, just because you miss your family!" the man said,clearly annoyed with him. "We still got a long haul ahead of us and I'm not about to listen to y-" He was cut off by a bullet to his brain, sending the truck out of control and into a nearby ditch. Javier had no idea what had just happened, but it sure did hurt. Looking to his left, he could see that the driver was indeed dead. To his right, the door opened and a teenage girl was standing there. "Are you okay?" she asked. Javier wasn't entirely convinced that she was looking out for his safety, with the rifle in her hands, but knew he couldn't be rude, regardless. "Other than being a bit sore from the crash," he said. "I think I'm alright. Now who are you?" "I'm Clementine," she replied. "I was trying to get the driver for the truck….but that plan didn't work out well, as you can see." "Next time, cut down a tree, or something," Javier said. "I guess it'd stop trucks a lot better than a bullet, in most situations," she noted, then turned to walk away. Javier couldn't believe it. The girl had just helped him out of the truck, checked to make sure he was alright, and was now leaving him alone? "Wait," he said, making her stop. "What?" she replied. "C-can you help me get back to my family?" he asked. "Where are they?" she replied. "Back at the junkyard," he said. "We ran into some unpleasant people and they separated me from them. I have to get back to them! Please!" Clementine thought, for a moment, then looked at him. "Alright, she said. "But it's too dark to go now. We'll head to Prescott, for the night, then we can go back in the morning." Javier frowned. He wanted to get back, as fast as possible. But he also knew how dangerous traveling at night could be. "Alright," he said. "Let's go. Mind untying me first?" She stared at him. "I still can't completely trust you," she said. "For now, let's leave the rope. I'll untie you, once we get close to Prescott." He sighed. _Better to be tied and living than dead,_ he thought, as they began walking. However, they nearly ran into the walker herd that had been following Javier and his family, forcing them to hide. "Just great," Clementine said. "Looks like they caught up to us," Javier noted. "Those muertos are getting faster than I thought." "Muertos?" Clementine asked. "Is that what you call them?" "Yeah, Javier said. "What do you call them?" "Walkers," she replied. "By the way, I never did get your name." "Javier," he said. "Most people call me 'Javi', though." "Sounds about like how people called me 'Clem', to shorten my name," she said. Taking out a knife, she cut the rope around his wrists. "If we're going to make it to Prescott safely, you'll need free hands to defend yourself. Don't make me regret freeing you." Javier nodded, as they hurried toward safety.

They reached Prescott safely, but found a new problem: Walkers everywhere, in front of the gate. "Guess we oughta take them out, before we try to get inside," Javier said. "Right," Clementine replied, as she readied her weapons. One by one, they took out the small cluster of walkers, as they made their way to the gates. Finally, they reached the gates, but still had several walkers heading for them. Clementine pulled out her hand gun and pulled the trigger, unexpectedly getting nothing. "These bullets won't fire!" she yelled, in frustration. Acting fast, Javier took out the walkers that were closing in on her, then killed one that was too close to him for comfort. Finally, the gate opened and a man stepped halfway out. "Come on!" he called, as he motioned them inside. Wasting no time, they hurried inside. As the man closed the gate, a woman on a horse hurried inside. Finally, the gate was closed, leaving the remaining walkers outside, pounding on it. "Good lord, Francine," the man said. "One of these days, you're going to be left out there." "In that case, Tripp, I'll make sure to eat you first," Francine replied, with a smirk. Tripp just shook his head, as the woman walked away, then walked over to Javier and Clementine. "You guys can stay here, for the night," he said. "Just to make sure the herd's gone, by the time you leave." Javier nodded as he joined Clementine in a walk to the bar. "Why are we heading this way?" he asked. "I have to see someone about my gun not firing," she replied. "Something was wrong with the bullets and I need to find out what." They arrived at the bar and Clementine motioned toward the main serving area. "Stay there, while I deal with this," she said. "Make friends, or something." Javier nodded, though he wasn't sure he could make friends with anyone. Soon, he saw Francine, next to a man he assumed to be at least her boyfriend, and he decided to introduce himself to them. "Hi," he said, as he walked up. "I'm Javier. And you are?" "Conrad," the man said, "and this is my wife, Francine." "I just got here," Javier explained. "Myself and another managed to barely make it inside, as the herd began to approach. Caught some of your wife's humor toward Tripp, as she too, barely got inside in time." Francine smiled at the fresh memory, but Conrad stared at him. "You're the guy who got a lifetime ban from gambling aren't you?" he asked. "Yeah," Javier replied. "Not that it matters, these days." Conrad was about to reply when Clementine's raised voice interrupted him. "You told me that these bullets would work, Eli!" she yelled, as Javier hurried to the other room. "Please, calm down, Clementine," Eli replied. "I didn't know that they were bad. You gotta understand that I can't always check my stock to see what works and what doesn't." Frustrated, Clementine set down the gun, causing one of the faulty bullets to fire, narrowly missing Eli's head. Conrad ran inside, having heard the shot. "What happened?" he asked. "The bullets Eli gave me were faulty," Clementine replied. "They wouldn't fire when I needed them to, but one just went off when I didn't need it to." "Man, you gotta get that stock of yours thoroughly checked, Eli" Conrad said. Just then, Tripp ran in. "Heard the gunshot," he said. "What's going on?" "Misfire, because of faulty bullets," Eli admitted. "It was my fault, Tripp. Almost got me killed. I'll check the rest of my stock, to be safe." "See to it that you do," Tripp said, as he motioned for Clementine and Javier to follow him. "Where you two headed?" he asked, as they walked out of the bar. "There's a junkyard, not far from here," Javier replied. "My niece and nephew, along with their step-mother are trapped there by that group and the herd. "So, The New Frontier's causing trouble for you, eh?" Tripp said. "No surprise, since they've been a problem for almost everyone not associated with them." They continued in silence, for a moment, before Tripp spoke up again. "I can take you guys there, in the morning. If, you're both going, that is." "I promised to help him get them out of that junkyard," Clementine said. "I definitely owe him that, after he saved my life at the gates." "Alright, then," Tripp replied. "Get some rest. We'll head out at first light." With that, he walked away, leaving them alone. "I suppose we should do as he says and get some sleep," Javier said. "Can't save my family if we're fighting fatigue." Clementine nodded in agreement, as they went to their respective beds, for the night.

 **Hey guys, sorry it took a few days, after getting the Prologue up. Also, if this chapter felt a little too close to how the actual story goes, or is too short for your liking, I apologize, but I really didn't see a point in doing much to change it, other than showing the kind of influence Jeff had on Clementine, even long after they got separated. Hope you enjoyed this and keep watching for more!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Rescues and Surprises**

" _I thought learning to drive would be harder than this," Clementine said, as she carefully worked the steering wheel. "It's not that hard," Jeff replied. "Right, Kenny?" "Right," Kenny replied. "Just keep doing what we told you and you'll be fine." They drove for a distance, before anyone spoke again. "Kenny," Abby said, from the back seat. "Why doesn't AJ talk?" Kenny looked back at the kids, then to AJ, specifically. "I just don't get it," he said. "Alvie should've been at least trying to talk, by now. Can't quite figure out, what's keeping him from talking." AJ just smiled at Kenny, as he turned back around, before going back to playing with his feet. "It's getting cold out, again" Jeff said, rubbing his arms. "Speaking of the cold," Clementine said. "AJ, where's your blanket?" Turning around, for a second, she reached for the blanket, in the floor. Then, it happened. Clementine turned back toward the front and gasped as a walker was in their path. Acting fast, she swerved, to avoid it, then avoided a tree, at the edge of the road. After a number of maneuvers, the car smashed into a power pole. "Ow," Jeff said, from the back seat. "Everyone okay?" "Yeah," Abby replied. AJ just smiled, as if nothing happened, while Clementine groaned in the front seat. "Guess I should've had you grab that, Jeff," she admitted. "Kenny, are you alright?" Looking toward the shotgun seat, she gasped, when she realized that the car had hit the pole right at Kenny's door, severely injuring him. "Kenny?!" she said, in a panic. "Oh s***," Kenny said, as he started to move. "Haven't had a jolt like that in months." He tried to move his right leg, only to howl in pain. "That impact broke my leg," he said. "And more. I'm no good, like this." "We'll figure something out," Jeff said. "We're not leaving you here." Just then, they heard something, nearby. "I know that sound," Clementine said. "And I hate that sound," Jeff added. As they looked out the broken windows, a large group of walkers came out of the woods and headed for the car. "Come on, we're getting out of here!" Jeff said, unbuckling the kids. Clementine tried to get Kenny out, only for him to cry out in pain again. "I'm not gonna make it," he said. "Go on, get out of here!" "No! I'm not leaving you!" Clementine declared. "You have no choice, Clem. It's me or all of us, and I'm not about to let my last moments be of you guys getting devoured! Now go!" She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay, but she knew he was right. "Clem, come on!" Jeff called, as he took Abby's hand and began to run for the gap in the herd. With tears in her eyes, she scooped up a crying AJ and ran after them. "Come and get it!" she heard Kenny shout, drawing attention away from them. She heard the walkers start attacking him as she ran, which made the situation more painful, for her. "AJ, come on!" She said, as they made their escape._

"We're here," Tripp said, snapping Clementine out of her thoughts, as the car came to a stop. There was the junkyard, where Javier's family had been stuck overnight. They slowly made their way inside the fence and began their search. "Mari," Javier said, calling for his niece. "Gabe? Kate?" _Please be here. Be alive,_ he thought. As they walked, they saw numerous bodies. All of them walkers that had once been in the herd. "Must've been hundreds of them," Clementine said. "Kate's good in a crisis," Javier said. "She's know how to get shelter." "What's that?" Clementine asked, looking toward the ground. "That's Mariana's cassette player!" Javier said, as he picked the item up. "Please don't let this be a bad sign." He looked around. "Mariana! Mariana, are you there?" From their left, came a noise of a door, followed by a girl running out from behind an abandoned car. "Javi!" the girl called, as she ran toward him and hugging him, when she reached him. "You're alive!" Javier said. "I can't believe it!" They ended their embrace, as Tripp and Clementine looked on, smiling. "You told me where to hide," Mariana said. "I just listened to what you said. 'Lock yourself in and don't come out, not even once it's quiet.' It kept running through my head, like on a loop. I don't even know how **long** I was in there... Then I heard your was scary at first, but once the muertos couldn't see me anymore, they just passed by." "Gabe and Kate," Javier replied. "Where are they?" "We were pulled apart and the herd showed up," she replied. "Kate yelled that they were going to try to make it back to the van." Immediately, the four began their search for the remaining members of Javier's family. It didn't take long for them to discover that the van was destroyed, making the situation that much more desperate. Then they heard a truck turning over and realized that Kate or Gabe was trying to get a vehicle working, so they could escape. However, the attempt had attracted several walkers to the truck, trapping them inside. Making sure Mariana stayed back, Tripp, Javier, and Clementine wiped out every single walker, then got Kate and Gabe out of the truck. "Javi!" Kate said. "You found us!" "I told you I'd keep you guys safe," Javier replied. Without another word, Javier kissed Kate. "Gross," Mariana said. "Come on," Kate replied. "I think we get a pass, after all we've been through." Gabe ran over to his sister and hugged her. "I wanted to come after you, but… We were cut off," he said. "It's fine, his sister replied. "No need to snot all over my shirt about it." "We should get going," Clementine said. "Don't wanna push our luck." "Who's the kid with the gun?" Kate asked. "That's Clementine," Javier replied. "She got me out of the mess I was in and Tripp brought us here to rescue you." "Hello there," Tripp said. "I'll take you guys back to Prescott, where you'll be safe." Immediately, Mariana asked about hot water and talking about how nice a bubble bath would be. Javier smiled as he realized that his family would finally have someplace to be safe. "Between you and me," Tripp said. "You're family's lucky. Usually, these missions don't end so well." "Cool," Mariana said, from in front of them. There, laying on the ground, were her headphones. She picked them up and looked at JAvier, who pulled out her cassette player from his pocket. "Thanks," she said, with a smile. Then suddenly, out from behind the wall, a hooded figure darted out and knocked his niece to the ground. "What the-" BANG! Javier's words were cut off as gunfire rang out. "Are you alright?" he heard the mystery man ask Mariana. "I think so," she replied. "Good, now you and your group need to find shelter and fast!" Without hesitation, everyone found cover, as bullets and words flew from the woods. "You f***** thieves! Did you really think you could walk back in here like nothing happened?" Without a word, the hooded man pulled an automatic gun from behind his back and opened fire. "You have no business here!" One of the men in the woods yelled at their unknown hero. "As far as I'm concerned," the man said. "I have every reason to be here! Go back to that dark corner you crawled out of!" More gunfire was exchanged, as the man boldly stood his ground. Javier heard the cries of one man's life ending, in the woods. _This guy's good,_ he thought. "Last chance!" another man called. "Leave, and we'll let you live. Just let us deal with these thieves!" "Not a chance!" was the reply. "After what you did to my last group, I'm not about to stand by and watch more innocents die by your guns!" At this, he added a handgun to the mix and fired again. Two more men in the woods fell, before the others started calling to retreat, leaving the unknown hero standing in the middle of the gateway alone, guns smoking.

Javier slowly walked out of his hiding place and walked toward the man who had saved his niece. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah," the man said. "I"m okay...but three of The New Frontier's scumbags aren't. You're lucky I happened to be walking by and saw what they were about to do." "Whatever the case," Kate said, as the others gathered around. "Thank you for saving Mariana from being killed." The man turned around, but kept his hood up. "You're welcome," he said. _That voice,_ Clementine thought. _It sounds so familiar._ "We need to leave, before they bring reinforcements," the man continued. "He's right," Tripp said, in agreement. "Everyone in the car." So everyone piles into the car and they sped out of the area. After they reached Prescott, everyone was still trying to figure out what to make of their mystery hero. Clementine couldn't shake the feeling that she already knew him and had to find out if she was right. "Okay," she said. "We already know you have issues with New Frontier, but I have to know something...who are you?" The man turned around and pulled back his hood. "Oh my god!" Clementine said, as he revealed his face.

 **Dun dun dun! Okay, some of you prabably already know who it is, but I wanna see if I can surprise someone. Take your guesses and leave them as a review! Is it Jeff? Is it someone from Season 1 or 2? The man's identity will be revealed in Chapter 3!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Reunions and Escapes**

" _Okay. We already know you have issues with New Frontier, but I have to know something...who are you?" The man turned around and pulled back his hood. "Oh my god!" Clementine said, as he revealed his face._

Clementine couldn't believe it. All this time, she thought she'd never see him again, and now he was standing before her. "Jeff?" she said, still in a state of shock. Jeff, now sporting a small beard, looked toward her and gasped. "Clementine?" he said, equally shocked. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, before Clementine ran over and embraced her old friend. "I thought I'd lost you," she said, as a tear escaped her eye. "I thought the same of you, Clem," he replied, as they broke the embrace. "Still wearing that ratty old hat." "You'd have to burn it to keep it off my head," she replied, with a smile. Jeff then turned to the others. "Name's Jeff," he said. "I'm Javier, or Javi, for short," JAvier replied. "This is my family. My nephew Gabe, my niece, Mariana, and their step mother Kate." "I assume their dad is…" Jeff began, then stopped when he realized he hit a tough subject. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking." "It's alright," Gabe replied. "I'm sure you've have a similar experience before, right?" "Thankfully, no," Jeff said. "But that doesn't make it any less troubling when I make the mistake of bringing up lost loved ones, even to people I know." He looked to Clementine, as he spoke, knowing she'd had more than her share of losses. "I'm Tripp," Tripp said, changing the focus. "If you need anything, I'm always around here, somewhere." With that, he excused himself and walked away. After watching him leave, the group restarted their conversation. "Thank you for saying Mariana, Jeff," Kate said. "We had no idea that those men were out there, waiting for us." "No trouble at all," Jeff replied. "I saw her walk into the open, then saw Badger take aim and knew I had to stop it." "Badger?" Javier asked. "Who's that." "One of the people with New Frontier," Jeff replied. "He's one of the reasons I'm at war with the group. I saved Mariana from him for many reasons. The main one being that I-" He paused, his voice choking up with emotion. "I couldn't stand to see him kill another innocent child, who had nothing to do with anything they were going after people for." As he finished, he wiped away a tear, as the others began to wonder exactly what he was talking about. Their thoughts were interrupted, however. "You got no business here, Badger!" they heard Tripp shout, from the gate. "Oh no," Javier said, as he, Clementine, and Jeff ran to the gate.

It didn't take them long to reach the guard stations above the gate, where Tripp and Conrad were already standing, glaring at their unwelcome visitors. Jeff looked down and saw several men from New Frontier standing around a truck, all staring up at them. "Well, well,well," Badger said. "If it isn't Javier. You caused us a lot of trouble at the junkyard. How about surrendering, to save your family and this community?" Javier looked to Clementine and Jeff. "What do you think?" he asked. "I wouldn't trust Bader's word for a second," Jeff replied. "He's tricked people with the surrender offer before and people died because of it." Javier didn't like the sound of that, as Jeff turned his attention to the men outside the walls. "You're not welcome here, Badger!" he shouted. "Well, hello there, Jeff," Badger replied. "Getting your nose into other people's business again, I see. Have you forgotten that's how you started your struggle with us?" In response, Badger received a large stone to his chest. "You know full well that I retaliated to what you and your buddies did, Badger!" Jeff yelled. "You're promises of safety if Javier surrenders are just as hollow as the one you used to trick me, months ago!" Badger gave a puzzled look. "I'm not sure I follow," he replied. "You know what I'm talking about," Jeff said. "You lead innocents, under my charge, into a false sense of security, then sprang your trap! I will not let you do that again!" Everyone in the guard station stared at Jeff, surprised by the anger in his voice. Even Clementine, who had seen him mad many times, was shocked at how angry he was at Badger. "I can see this is getting nowhere," Badger said. He then motioned for one of the other men with him to bring something out. "Let me go!" they heard a woman shout. As the woman was brought out into the open, Conrad gasped. "Francine!" he shouted. "Let her go!" "Now, now," Badger said. "Let's not get out of control, here. If you want her, we can do an exchange. Javier for Francine. Seems reasonable, to me." "We have to do it," Conrad said. "Javier, I'm sorry, but I can't let them kill my wife!" JAvier thought for a few seconds, then made his choice. "I'll go," he said. "I'll give myself up, so she can live." He then turned to Clementine and Jeff. "Take care of my family, for me. I know you can do that." Jeff looked out, at the men below, then to Francine, then to the truck, where he made a startling discovery. "Walkers," he said. "What?" Clementine asked. "Look at the truck," Jeff replied. Javier and Clementine looked to the truck and gasped. There, arms reaching for prey that was too far away, were at least a dozen walkers inside the back of the truck. "We have to warn Conrad and Tripp," Javier said. Jeff stood up, to give the warning, when the unthinkable happened.

BANG!

BANG!

They turned and gasped, Francine and the man holding her were dead on the ground, with Badger's gun smoking. "No!" Conrad yelled, with his gun also smoking. "No, I- No! Francine!" He was a mess. He had tried to save his wife, while the others were figuring out what to do and had failed. Just then, they heard the truck start. "Shoot the driver!" Jeff called out. Immediately, they all fired at the driver, in hopes of stopping him from ramming the gates. Finally, he was shot in the head, but the truck's momentum carried it into the gates and into the town, where it hit a pile of supplies and tipped over, spilling it's undead cargo, as Badger lead his men inside. It was chaos as Jeff lead them to the ground, where they hurried to find Kate and the kids. Finally, they found them and ran for the back gate, where Tripp had two cars waiting. Everyone climbed in and they escaped Prescott, as it was overrun.

For nearly an hour, they rode in silence, before stopping to properly gather their thoughts. Most were saddened by the events, but Conrad was angry. "You should've surrendered!" he shouted at Javier. "If you had, my Francine would still be alive!" "Conrad, settle down!" Jeff said. "It's not his fault!" "You shut up!" Conrad replied. "Your presence didn't help the situation. If you hadn't gotten involved, Prescott would still be standing and Francine would be alive!" "I got involved because I couldn't stand to see anyone else die from New Frontier's trickery," Jeff replied, in clear self defense. " _They_ started their issues with me. _They_ decided to cause Javier and his family trouble, when they didn't know they were on the group's property. Every time New Frontier does something to a person or a group, it's because _they_ start it! The only reason you lost your wife and Prescott fell is because you had to go and take matters into your own hands. _You_ got your own wife killed. _Not...us_!" Conrad didn't have a reply to that, only a look of shame and guilt, as he realized Jeff was right. "Excuse me," he said, then walked to the back of one of the cars. Once he was gone, Clementine looked to her friend, with concern. That was the most defensive he had ever gotten, when she was around and it bothered her. "Why so defensive, Jeff?" she asked. "What got you this fired up about New Frontier?" Jeff looked at her, with a sad look on his face. "It all started a few months ago," he said. "I had left Abby somewhere safe, after I learned that the bandit activity had gotten to dangerous to keep her with me, and was alone. I managed alright, but it was hard. One day, I stumbled upon a group of seven or eight kids, of various ages. Their parents had been killed by bandits and walkers, leaving them orphans and in need of protection. Without hesitation I promised to help them find a safe haven. I had thought about trying to get up to Wellington, but cancelled that plan, when someone told me it had fallen. Soon, I became desperate and eventually I stumbled upon Badger and some of them men he was with, at the time. They offered protection for the kids, for the night, and I accepted, though I had a bad feeling about the situation. They gave us some food and we happily ate. It was the happiest I had seen those kids, since I found them, which made me smile. After dinner, the kids all talked about it being the best meal they'd had in months. I was satisfied that the men had kept their promise, so I let my guard down." He paused, his face grim. "Big mistake, on my part. An hour after supper, I was suddenly grabbed and held in place by two of the men. Then I watched the others round the kids up and stand them in a row. Badger then took the pleasure in watching my reactions...as he shot the kids in the head...one by one." Everyone gasped at this point. "I looked in horror at the kids' bodies one the ground. I had protected them for weeks. They had become my world, because I wanted them safe, like I knew Abby was. I was so upset and furious that we had been so deceived that I broke free of the grip the two men had on me, grabbed the gun of one of them and shot both in their heads, then killed one more and wounded the rest. Before leaving, I swore to Badger that I would make their entire organization pay for what happened. Ever since that night, I've saved nearly a hundred people from New Frontier. Many were saved from Badger himself. When I saw Mariana in the open, at the junkyard, I immediately thought back to one girl who had been her age, in that group of kids. I couldn't relive that nightmare, so I did what had to be done to save her." His story finished, he looked at Clementine, who was speechless. "Man," Tripp said. "So that's why you were so hostile at Prescott." As he finished, Conrad rejoined them, looking ashamed for his earlier actions. "I'm sorry for accusing you, Jeff and Javier," he said, his voice full of guilt. "You're forgiven," Javier replied. Conrad looked to Jeff, who nodded in agreement with Javier. "Alright, then," Tripp said. "It's safe to say we've all lost, or nearly lost, something or someone to New Frontier. The best thing we can do is keep going, as those we've lost would want. Now, let's head for Richmond, where I heard there's a community there we can stay in." Everyone nodded in agreement and they climbed back into the cars.

 **Hello, again. Yeah, Jeff's back, which likely isn't a big shocker to anyone. I had seriously considered changing his return to a later chapter and having someone from Season 1 or 2, whose fate has been unknown return (Vernon from Season 1, for example), but ultimately settled on what I had originally planned. Also, I hope I didn't hit anyone's emotions too hard, if at all, with Jeff's story. But I needed a powerful reason for him to be so determined to bring down New Frontier and that was as powerful a story as I could come up with. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll be taking a little break from writing this story to focus on a few chapters for a non-Walking Dead story I have in the works, but I'll return to this, and that's a promise.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm back! Sorry about the wait and the fact that Jeff's return in the previous chapter wasn't the big surprise I had wanted, but the good news is that I finally got over writer's block (and procrastination) to complete this chapter. I promise to try to get a more regular posting schedule (especially since I have this story's outline complete and the outline for the next one also done), but you'll also have to bear with me, as I have two other stories (non-TWD) to work on, too. Okay, I've held you up enough. Enjoy. (Waning: Short chapter)**

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Road Block**

It had been several hours since the group escaped the attack on Prescott and they were ready for some proper rest. However, their journey to Richmond would be halted, as they encountered a blockade of cars in a short tunnel. It didn't take them long to find a vehicle with a tow cable on the front to clear one of the cars out of the way, but they discovered a new problem when the car was pulled clear: A large number of walkers were rapidly closing in on them.

"Javier," Jeff said. "Get everyone you can fit in Tripp's truck out of here! Clem and I will deal with the walkers."

"Are you insane?" Javier asked. "There's too many!"

"We've fought and lived through worse," Jeff replied. "Trust me. Go!"

Javier began to collect his family and leave the pair behind, as instructed, when a walker knocked Mariana down. She screamed for help as she fought to keep it from taking as bite as more closed in.

"Mari!" Javier called, as he started to help her.

However, he had his own problems to deal with as a couple of walkers began to close in on him. Quickly, he took the out and turned to his niece in time to see Jeff pull her up from the ground with the walker that had tried to attack her dead beside her.

"Are you alright?" Jeff asked her.

"Yeah," she replied. "Thank you."

Jeff's reply was cut off by the sound of more walkers beginning to surround them, effectively cutting them off from the rest of the group. He watched as Clementine saved Conrad from a walker, then took Mariana's hand and guided her toward the car he had been driving. Clementine and Conrad saw them and began to follow, but they all stopped as the herd became too thick to go any further. Realizing they couldn't get back to the others, Jeff looked for a safe place to get away from the undead. Then, he spotted a ladder leading to the top of the gas station building nearby and knew it was their only chance.

"Javi!" he called. "Tell Tripp to go! We'll catch up!"

Javier hesitated. He didn't want to leave anyone behind, but he had no choice.

"Keep my niece safe, alright?" he replied.

"We'll keep her alive," Clementine said, as she took out another walker. "Now go!"

Quickly, Javier got in the truck and they hurried through the tunnel. Meanwhile, Jeff, Clementine, Mariana, and Conrad hurried to the ladder, where Jeff took on the task of defending their only escape route. Alternating between his handgun and his knife, he wiped out several walkers while the others made the climb, then hurried up himself. Once he was on the roof, the ladder fell over onto several walkers, as they looked on. Their relief was short lived, however, as Jeff spotted movement on a nearby building.

"Hey!" he called out. "Come on out!"

The only response he got was the wind and the small herd below them, still trying desperately to get to them.

"What did you see?" Conrad asked.

"More like 'who'", Jeff replied.

They all looked and saw movement on the roof of the building Jeff had been looking at.

"You best come out, now," Conrad called. "We don't want to hurt you, but if you make us… it won't be pretty."

No response.

"Okay, that's it," Jeff said, pulling his handgun out.

"Where do you think you're going?" Clem asked.

"Time to see who our mystery figure is," he replied. "Stay back, until I know it's safe."

The others nodded in agreement, as Jeff quietly moved from roof to roof, until he was on the same roof he had spotted the figure on. All he found, however, was a well placed decoy.

"What a dummy," Jeff said to himself.

"Make that two," came a voice from behind.

Turning, Jeff put his hands up as he saw a man with a full beard and a long coat holding a gun to his face.

"Easy now," Jeff said. "We don't want any trouble. We were just wondering who was up here."

"Well, you found me," the man replied, lowering his weapon.

Just then, the others joined them, with Conrad keeping a gun trained on the man.

"He good, Jeff?" Conrad asked.

"Yeah," Jeff replied. "I think he's good. Definitely doesn't look like he's New Frontier."

Reassured, Conrad put his gun away and relaxed a bit more.

"Name's Jeff," Jeff said. "The others are Clementine, Mariana, and Conrad. And you are…"

"Paul," the man said. "But my friends call me Jesus."

"Nice to meet you...uh, Jesus," Conrad said.

"Despite the slightly tense moment we just had," Jesus said. "It's nice to meet you, too."

There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke again.

"Where were you heading?" Mariana asked Jesus.

"Well, I was going to head to Richmond," Jesus replied.

"We were heading there ourselves," Jeff said. "We were separated from the rest of our group, while en route. We were able to get them past a blockade in the road, before we were cut off."

Suddenly, Jesus got a look of concern on his face.

"We have to try to catch up to them," he said.

"Why?" Conrad asked.

"Richmond's been taken over by New Frontier," Jesus replied.

Everyone gasped. New Frontier was in control of Richmond and their group was heading right for it.

"We can catch up quickly if we take that railroad tunnel," Jesus then said, pointing at the bridge and tunnel above them.

"Right," Jeff said. "Let's not waste anymore time!"

With that, they hurried up to the tunnel.

The tunnel was dark and had very little lighting to see by, but it served its purpose. Everyone kept an eye on the shadows, waiting for the undead to jump out at them, knowing they could be anywhere. As they walked, Clementine moved next to Jeff.

"Can we talk?" she whispered. "Back a bit from the others?"

"Sure," he replied.

Within seconds, they were far enough back that Clementine felt safe to speak again.

"So," Jeff said. "What's this about?"

"I can't go to Richmond with you guys," she said.

Jeff was surprised to hear her say that.

"Why?" he asked.

"I'm not welcome anywhere that New Frontier is," she replied.

"How come?" he asked.

Clementine rolled up her left shirt sleeve to reveal a brand, surprising Jeff.

"I was one of them," she said.

"You joined them?" he said, still in shock.

All she could do was nod.

"You have to understand, Jeff, I had no one," she said. "When we were separated by that herd, I kept going with AJ...then had to leave him somewhere safe when things got to be too dangerous for him to be with me. I had a chance and I took it."

They had stopped by this point and the others had noticed.

"Everything okay, back there?" Conrad asked.

"Yeah," Jeff said. "We were just doing a bit more catching up."

"Well, you can catch up more after we find the others," Conrad replied.

"Right," Jeff said, as they resumed their pace.

At last they reached the tracks of the old railroad, where they quickly realized they had to hurry and get out.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Jeff said. "We're not alone."

No one replied as the tell tale sounds of the undead began to fill the tunnel, echoing off the walls. Suddenly, one jumped out and tried to bite Mariana, only for Jeff to shoot it in the head.

"Run!" he called.

Not needing to be told twice, everyone ran from the cluster of walkers converging on them. As they ran, Conrad nearly knocked himself out when he ran into a metal object. Taking a step back, he realized what they had found.

"Nobody said anything about a train car being in the way!" he said, with annoyance.

Without hesitation, Jeff spotted the solution to their problem.

"This is a passenger car," he said, as he took out another walker. "We can cut through it, if we can get that door open."

After some fighting, both walkers and the door, they managed to gain entry into the abandoned coach. Jesus managed to get to the other side first and quickly went through, while Jeff and Clementine tried to lock the door back up, as walkers tried to get inside. Finally, they managed to lock the door and breath a sigh of relief.

"Now that we've dealt with that, let's get going," Jeff said.

Conrad didn't move, however. He just stood there.

"Conrad, we don't have time to just stand here," Jeff told him. "Those walkers will break through, soon enough!"

"Just one little detail to take care of, real quick," Conrad replied.

"What's that?" Clementine asked.

The only answer she got was a gun to her face, as Mariana gasped.

 **Dun dun duuuuuun!**

 **Okay, that cliffhanger may have been expected, but I felt it would be better to divide the events from the latter half of Episode Two into separate parts. That said, I hope this helps you guys out with the lack of new chapters, until the next one comes out (hopefully over the weekend of the 4th, with two days extra off work). Until then, have a good day/night.**


	6. Chapter 5

**That's right! I have returned! And I bring with me a new chapter.**

 **Resolutions and Surprises**

"What are you doing, Conrad?" Jeff asked, in shock.

"Dealing with a problem," Conrad replied.

"How is Clem a problem?" Jeff asked.

"She's been nothing but helpful since I met her," Mariana said. "Why are you threatening her?"

"Tell her what you told Jeff," Conrad ordered, looking at Clementine.

Clementine remained silent as she glared at him.

"Fine," he said, after a long silence. "I will. She's with New Frontier!"

Mariana gasped.

"If you had heard the entire discussion," Clementine began. "You would've heard me tell Jeff that I left. I couldn't stay, once I found out what they really were like!"

Conrad wasn't buying her story, and took the safety off his gun, ready to shoot.

"If you don't surrender," he began. "I will shoot. We can't let her live, Jeff. It's too big a risk."

At this point, Jeff had had enough and pointed his automatic at Conrad.

"Kill her and you'll be swiss cheese in seconds," he said.

"You'd protect New Frontier?" Conrad asked, in surprise. "After that story you gave us? You're such a hypocrite!"

"I protect my friends!" Jeff replied. "And she said she left, so she's not with them." He lowered his gun. "I've already lost so much, since this began. Clem and I braved the horrors of this world and survived. Please...don't take the last person I have left in this world. She's not family, but she's had my back for four years. She's never let me down...even when let her down."

Conrad thought about Jeff's little speech, sighed, then lowered his gun.

"Alright," he said. "If what you say is true...I have no reason to hurt her."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, just as Jesus returned.

"Everything alright, in here?" he asked.

"Just a misunderstanding," Conrad said, before anyone else could open their mouths. "We're good, now."

"Alright," Jesus replied. "Let's get going."

As they exited the coach, Clementine stopped Jeff again.

"What's wrong?" Jeff asked.

"I can't be seen by New Frontier," she replied. "After the way things ended with me, they won't want me around. They might even do what Conrad backed out of doing."

Jeff hated hearing this, but understood.

"Once I've helped Conrad and Mariana find the others," he said. "I'll come find you."

"I won't be far away," Clementine replied. "Please make sure we aren't separated for a long time, again."

"I'll try my hardest to find you," Jeff said. "Even if we can't find each other...just remember that you're never truly alone, as long as you know those you've lost are still with you in your heart."

Clementine smiled, then disappeared. Jeff watched her departure for a few seconds, before joining the others.

"Where is she going?" Conrad asked.

"She can't be seen with us," Jeff replied. "With how she left New Frontier, they won't take kindly to her presence."

"I understand," Jesus added. "The last thing we need is for someone to get shot just for showing up."

Everyone agreed and they moved on. As they walked, Jeff couldn't help but notice a look of worry on Mariana's face.

"You okay?" Jeff asked.

"I'm just worried about my family," she replied. "They could be lost or captured by New Frontier or...dead."

Jeff stopped in front of her.

"I'm sure they're alright," he said, with a reassuring look. "We couldn't have been too far behind them when we entered that tunnel, so they're likely nearby. Keep a positive attitude about the situation, alright?"

Mariana nodded, as they resumed their pace. Soon, they found Tripp's truck and became concerned when they found it was abandoned.

"This isn't good," Jeff said.

"I'll look around and see if I can find them," Jesus said.

Everyone else nodded, as the man moved to the left and vanished around a corner. Down to just three, the small group moved on and, after dodging a few patrols, found the main gate. As they approached, they heard someone shout.

"Hold it right there!"

Jeff looked up and immediately recognized the owner of the voice.

"Max," he said. "Seems like only yesterday we last saw each other."

"What do you want, Jeff?" Max asked, pointing his gun at them.

"We were just looking for the rest of our group," Jeff replied. "Have you seen them?"

"They haven't come by here," Max told them. "Not that we'd let you in, anyway, after what happened in the last couple days."

Before anyone else could speak, they heard footsteps, causing them to turn around. To their relief, they discover that Jesus had found the others and lead them to the gate. Relieved, Mariana immediately ran to her family, while Conrad went to talk to Tripp and Jeff just smiled.

"You're late," he said.

"Well, we had a little trouble, once we got here," Javier replied.

"Well, well," Max said. "Nice to see you, again, Javier."

"Wish I could say the same," Javier replied. "Where's your friend Badger?"

"Busy," Max said. "Anyways, you all need to turn around now and never come back. You've caused enough trouble."

"How about sending your leader come out and determine that," Jeff said, glaring at Max. "I'm sure they'd love to find out what happened at Prescott."

Max didn't say a word, but instead shouted down to someone, then look back at them. Moments later, the gate opened and several people stepped outside.

"What's going on out here?" came a voice.

"They came up to the gate," Max said. "I was trying to get them to leave, for being such a problem for us."

"What kind of problem could they b-...Oh my god."

Javier, Kate, and the kids gasped. There, before them, was David.

 **Well, it may not be much, but I couldn't put off continuing this story any longer. Even with other stories I'm working on, I had to get something up for this one. My intention, for now, is to focus here, then return to the other projects. Keep an eye out for more!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm finally back with another chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I have other stories I have been focusing on (plus a lot of procrastination). But now I'm going to work to complete this story before returning to the others, so (hopefully) there with be a more regular release of new chapters, until this story is finished. Without further delay, I present, Chapter 6.**

 **The Truth Revealed**

Jeff watched as Javier got over his shock and finally walked to his brother, followed by Kate and the kids.

"Dad?!" the kids said at the same time.

"Is it really you?" he asked them.

"It's really us, brother," Javier replied. "We need to come inside."

"I wouldn't recommend that, boss!" Max called down.

"Relax, Max, it's my family," David replied.

"And four people displaced by an unfortunate recent event and a man looking for his people," Jeff muttered, as he glared at Max.

"Your community kick you out?" David asked, having overheard him.

"Worse," Eleanor replied. "It fell."

"Yikes," David said, taking a moment to think. "Come on inside. I'll see what we can do for you."

With that, David turned and everyone followed him inside. However, while David, Kate, and the kids walked toward his home, the rest of his people changed the plans for the rest of the group.

"Sorry, but you all have to go to quarantine to be checked for bites," a young woman said. "And to answer some questions."

"Oh, so they get to go in without a check and we have to be?" Tripp asked, obviously annoyed.

"His family, so he can make that call," the woman replied.

"Javier didn't get to go," Conrad pointed out.

"Guess David's immediate concern is his wife and kids," she replied. "Now let's go."

Jeff looked at Javier, who looked back at him with a look of betrayal. David was his brother and he had brushed him aside, like he wasn't even there. Realizing it was best to remain silent, they walked on as they were lead to quarantine.

"When I get out of here, I'm gonna find the man who killed Francine!"

"Conrad, settle down. You're not the only one with revenge on the brain."

"I can't believe Javi's brother is alive and with New Frontier!"

It had been ten minutes since the group had been left in quarantine and everyone was already getting restless. What didn't help the situation was the fact that new questions had been raised, with no answers to the old ones. Finally, Javier had to speak up to calm everyone down.

"We need to play along," he said, as the others looked at him. "For now. When the time is right, we'll start asking questions and demand justice."

Jeff opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off.

"Hey," David said from behind his brother.

Everyone's attention was now on the unexpected and unwelcome visitor.

"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner," David continued. "But I had to deal with something."

"Taking care of your wife and kids and not your brother?" Jeff asked. "Yeah, that had to have taken time."

David glared at him, with a silent warning to shut up. Jeff wasn't intimidated, but he remained silent, knowing the time wasn't right to make hasty decisions.

"Come on, Javi," David finally said. "They're asking for you. Kate most of all."

Javi looked at the others.

"What about them?" he asked.

"They'll be here for a while longer," David replied. "Still need to go through the process. You know how it is in most communities."

"Yeah, we know…" Tripp said, sarcastically.

David continued on, without looking back, as Javier followed.

After they had exited the quarantine room, David stopped and looked at his brother.

"Play along?" he asked. "That doesn't sound good, Javi."

David paused, waiting to see if his brother had a reply.

"We have a process, Javi," he continued. " Our own way of doing things. We have to make sure the community is safe. You can understand that, right?"

"Yeah," Javier replied.

"I hope your people don't have a problem with our ways," David said.

"They just need to get used to things around here," Javier replied. "Like any community, things take time to adjust to."

"I hope you're right," David said, looking at him with concern.

They continued in silence, for a moment, before David spoke up again.

"Listen, Javi," he began. "Gabe...he told me some messed up things."

"I was going to tell you in person," Javier said, thinking David was referring to his relationship with Kate. "Gabe should've let me do that."

"He told me you almost lost Mariana," David continued. "Just as few days ago."

Javier internally sighed in relief that he had been wrong.

"It's true," he said, as David stared at him.

"How?" David asked.

Javier closed his eyes and collected his memories of that near-tragic day.

"We ran low on gas for the van," he began. "I had been kidnapped by some of your people who mistook me for a thief, when they caught me syphoning gas at a junkyard. I managed to escape with help from an unknown source, and ended up making my way back to the junkyard Kate and the kids were still hiding in. Tripp helped me find them. They were all safe and sound."

He paused, letting his emotions show.

"Mari had found her headphones..she was smiling and had thanked me for keeping her tape player safe for her. Then this hooded figure came out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground, right as the gunfire started. He ordered us to find cover and killed three of your men in the gunfight that followed, before the rest retreated. After that, we made our way to the community of Prescott, which was taken down by your people, too."

David looked more shocked than he had at the gate.

""What happened?" he asked.

"Their leader held Conrad's wife hostage," Javier replied. "The young man who saved Mari turned out to be Jeff, the one who got smart with you at the gate and in quarantine."

"I've met him, before," David replied. "Was a brief meeting and we parted ways peacefully."

"I see," Javier said. "As I was saying, Jeff tried to help talk them out of killing her, only for Conrad to try it himself. Their leader killed her, as a result."

"Leader?" David asked.

"Some crazy bald guy with a beard," Javier replied. "Jeff shouted at him, by name, but I can't remember it."

David turned away and shook his head.

"Badger, what the **** have you done, now?" David asked, as if the person in question was right there with them.

He then turned back to Javier.

"Anything else happen?" he asked.

"Badger had a truck full of walkers smash through the gate," Javier replied. "We killed the driver, in an effort to stop it, but it was too late. Prescott fell, with the only survivors being the all of us you saw at the gate."

David looked furious.

"I'll handle this," he said. "Just keep quiet, alright? The politics around here can get messy."

"Didn't politics get messy before all this happened?" Javier said in a joking tone. "And I thought you were the leader."

"One of four," David replied. "Now let's go. We don't want to keep them waiting."

Javier wasn't sure he'd be able to handle what was to come. Nevertheless, he followed David to the church, to meet the other leaders.

An hour after Javier and David left, Jeff was still fuming at even seeing the latter.

"Something bothering you, Jeff?" Eleanor asked.

Too late, Jeff realized that he had let his emotions show.

"Just not happy to see David again," he replied.

"Again?" Conrad asked. "You met him, before?"

"It's a long story," he said. "One we don't have time for, right now."

Before anyone could answer, the door opened and a bald, dark skinned girl walked in with a few others behind her.

"Come on," she said.

"Where to?" Tripp asked.

"The gate," the girl replied. "You're being sent on your way."

Jeff wasn't surprised at this turn of events, but still felt like something was wrong about it.

"I thought Javi was going to vouch for us," he said.

"He tried," the girl replied. "But things went south fast, so you've all gotta go. Javi, too."

Minutes later, they were lead outside the borders of the community, with guns pointed at them.

"We didn't do anything wrong!" Conrad protested.

"Shut up," the girl said, as she tossed a duffle bag at the group. "Don't mess this up."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eleanor asked.

No one from New Frontier replied, as they turned and went back inside, with the gate closing behind them.

Nearly an hour later, the group was walking North, following the map David had provided in the bag, along with a small selection of weapons. The only thing missing from the bag was food, which would be a problem, in the long run. Jeff had volunteered to lead the way, but Jesus ended up doing so instead, due to his tracking abilities. As they went, the decision proved to be the right one, as he helped them dodge walker after walker without being seen. As they went, Jeff heard Javier and Tripp talk about relationships, which he quickly tuned out, seeing it as a private matter. Suddenly, Jesus stopped, putting everyone on alert. Climbing a rock, he looked around, just as a tell-tale sound reached their ears.

"Tell me that isn't what it sounds like," Conrad said.

"Unfortunately, Conrad," Jeff began. "It is. How far out, Jesus?"

"About a quarter mile," Jesus replied. "Heading the same way we are."

"Then we could hit walkers, any second," Tripp said. "We better scoot."

Everyone slowly walked on, waiting for the first sign of the undead to come popping out of the woods. Before they knew it, they walked right into the sight of a small herd of walkers, who immediately started after them. Without hesitation, Javier wacked one hard on its head, Tripp stabbed one between the eyes and Jeff shot two before they could even move in his direction.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate these things?" he shouted, to no one in particular.

"I think we're all sick of them!" Eleanor replied, as she tripped a walker, allowing Conrad to shoot it.

After taking his fourth walker down, Jeff caught sight of Jesus cutting a walker's head in half with the ax he had retrieved from the duffle bag. Suddenly, he heard a walker right by him, forcing him on the retreat. However, he found himself cornered and weaponless, as his knife was knocked out of his hand. Pinned against a tree, he held the walker at arms length, keeping its mouth away from his wrist. Unfortunately for him, the effort quickly became futile as more walkers converged on his location. Accepting his fate, Jeff prepared to let go of the walker he had been holding back.

"I'm sorry, Clem," he whispered.

Suddenly, the weight of the walker was gone, along with the sound of the others. Looking up, he saw Clementine standing over him, her hand extended in his direction.

"This team's not done fighting, yet," she declared, as she pulled him up.

"You came back," he said.

"I would never leave my friend to die," she replied. "We're a team. And we've survived some of the worst this mess has thrown at us, so a few walkers won't be the end."

Jeff nodded in agreement, before Clementine turned to Javier, as the resumed walking.

"That map David gave you is leading you into a herd," she said. "I think he's trying to get rid of you."

"Come on, Clem," Javier said. "He's my brother. He wouldn't lead me to my death."

"You can't trust him, Javi," she replied.

Suddenly, she stopped.

"I learned that the hard way."

Jeff looked at her, seeing the sad look on her face.

"What happened, Clem?" he asked.

"After I got separated from you, Jeff," she began. "I thought I was alone. I tried to make it so we'd never need anyone again. Then I found the New Frontier… they gave me this mark on my arm and made me one of them. They promised to help him."

She closed her eyes, as a tear escaped.

"That turned out to be a lie."

For the next few moments, Clementine told the story of how she tried to help AJ get over being sick. She had tried to take some medicine to give him, hoping it would work, when she was caught. David had been furious at her actions and kicked her out, forcing her to leave AJ behind.

"Okay," Conrad said. "That's just ****** up!"

"The real killer wasn't just in being forced to leave him," Clementine added. "As I was lead away...he- he called out my name. His first word and it was as I was forced to leave him behind."

The tears flowed freely down her face, as she finished. Jeff approached her and wrapped his arms around her, in comfort.

"David's a jerk, Clem," he said. "But not just for what he did to AJ."

"Clementine looked up at him, as he released her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Remember how I told you Abby was somewhere safe?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," she replied.

"Well...that was a lie," he said.

 _Jeff and Abby were walking through the woods, near Richmond, watching out for walkers. As they went, they realized they weren't alone. Jeff watched and listened for signs of the undead, but was surprised to find a group of men walking out of the woods. Their leader was a tall Hispanic man, who looked like a military man._

" _Hello," the man said._

" _Hello," Jeff replied, as Abby hid behind him._

" _Sorry to frighten your daughter," the man said. "But we saw the two of you alone and thought we'd offer assistance."_

" _That's kind of you," Jeff replied. "And she's not my daughter, though I have been her guardian for the last year. Poor kid's from my hometown, back in Indiana. I knew her parents, so I figured it'd be best if she stayed with me."_

" _She's an orphan?" the man asked._

" _Yes," Jeff replied. "One of the many this mess created."_

 _Soon, they were discussing an opportunity for JEff and Abby to join their community._

" _I promise you, Jeff," the man said. "You won't regret joining New Frontier. We have the safest community in the area. Plenty of food, shelter, and protection for you...and Abby."_

 _Jeff thought over the offer, then made his decision._

" _It's a tempting offer, David," he said. "But we've been on our own for a while and have gotten along well. Plus we're looking for the other two who were with us, until we got separated. I'm sorry, but we'll have to decline."_

" _I understand," David replied. "At least remain for the night. I'm sure you'd love the extra company."_

 _Jeff nodded in agreement._

Everyone was silent as Jeff finished his story.

"When I woke up the next morning," he continued. "They were gone. Their tents, supplies, everything….including Abby."

Clementine gasped, as did Eleanor and Javier.

"They just took her?" Clementine asked.

"Yes," Jeff replied. "I guess they decided I wasn't a good enough caretaker, if I told them we were fine on our own."

"Wait a minute," Javier said. "David said his encounter with you was peaceful."

"And it was," Jeff replied. "It just didn't end well for me."

Recognizing that the subject was too painful for Jeff and Clementine, both, everyone began to move on toward their destination in silence. After a short walk, they reached the location circled on the map.

"This is an old warehouse," Conrad said. "Why did David send us here?"

"Who knows," Jeff said.

As they approached, they spotted a few walkers just outside the fence.

"Our smelly friends are back," Tripp said.

Moving quickly, they took them out as they ran for the open gate on the fence, closing it behind them. However, the truck door for the building refused to open fully, creating serious concern among them. Without thinking, Jeff found a small jack and placed it under the door. One by one, they rolled under the barely open door to safety. Jeff finally began to crawl through, but found himself being dragged back. Quickly, Tripp and Javier grabbed his hands and pulled hard, freeing him from the grip of the walkers just in time. Jeff landed inside, as the jack gave and the door fell.

"Thanks," he said, as he stood up.

"You're welcome," Tripp replied.

Before anyone could speak, there was a pounding noise on the nearby door.

"Hurry up! Let me in!"

"That's David!" Javier said, as he went to open the door.

As he reached the door, however, Clementine pulled her gun out.

"Don't you dare!" she said.

Jeff pulled his gun, as well.

"That kidnapping, murdering idiot deserves to die out there!" he growled.

"He's my brother," Javier said. "I can't just leave him!"

Before anyone could react, the door opened and David was inside. Jeff and Clementine glared at him.

"It's good to see you again," he said, in a sarcastic tone.

"Wish we could say the same," Conrad replied, knowing full well the statement wasn't for him.

David ignored the comment and walked over to Clementine and Jeff. As he came to a stop, Jeff punched him square in the gut, knocking him back a few steps and onto the floor.

"That was for Abby!" Jeff growled.

"You don't understand," David replied.

"What else is there to understand?" Jeff asked. "You kidnapped the only person I have left from my old life and you let AJ die! I think we understand you very well!"

David finally recovered from the hit and stood up.

"They're alive, Jeff," he said. "Abby is safe and AJ…" He looked at Clementine. "...he recovered. Kid's stronger than we gave him credit for."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked. "Where is he?"

"Doctor Lingard has him," David replied.

"So he's back in Richmond?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah," David replied. "Abby's there, too. Can't remember who I left her with, but she's in good hands."

"You better not be lying to me," Jeff said.

"I'm not," David said.

Before Jeff could answer, the door suddenly burst open and walkers began to enter the building. Tripp rushed the only two to make it in and kicked one hard into the other and out the door, before he, Conrad, and Jesus braced themselves against it.

"Get something heavy to block this off!" Tripp called.

Thinking fast, Jeff, David, and Javier went behind a small container and pushed hard, moving it until it was up against the door. They all breathed a sigh of relief...until Tripp noticed something out of place.

"Where'd you guys find this?" he asked.

"Over there," Javier replied.

"Show me," Tripp said.

Together, the group slowly moved toward the original location of the container and were immediately surprised. There before them were several containers marked with "Property of Prescott Airfield", making Tripp, Eleanor, and Conrad gasp. Tripp noticed an arcade game that had been at Prescott, while Conrad found items from the bar.

"This is unbelievable," Jeff said. "There's stuff from so many towns. Towns I had seen the ruins of and others I had heard had fallen."

"There's so much here," Jesus said. "There's stuff from the Kingdom…"

Suddenly, they heard voices and took cover where they could.

"The herd's almost on us. Hurry up, already!"

"That Jeff guy is getting on my nerves."

"Well, you did kill those kids in front of him _and_ nearly killed David's daughter in front of everyone, including _him_."

"Shut up, Max! If I had my way, I'd kill both of them to make up for my failure at the junkyard!"

Soon, Max and Badger came into view, confirming many suspicions.

"Badger," David said, with a look of rage on his face. "You're in deep trouble, now."

Jeff pulled his gun and glared at Badger, from the shadows.

You sure as **** are stupid aren't you?" Max asked Badger. "If David heard you saying that, he'd kill you."

"Do I look like I care?" Bader said.

Meanwhile, everyone had their weapons ready, with David giving Jeff the go ahead to lead the way. Quietly, they snuck up on the trio of men, who were too busy talking to see or hear them.

"Look at all this!" Lonnie said. "We'll be set for a while."

"No kidding," Max replied. "Let's get out of her before David finds out."

"Oh, he already knows," Jeff said, starling them.

"Oh hey, Jeff," Badger said, acting innocent. "Nice to see you!"

"Cut the crap, Badger!" Jeff said. "You know full well what you've done!"

"Murdering innocent children? Trying to kill my daughter? Going against my authority? Looting other towns?!" David said. "These are serious offenses, Badger. You better confess...or I'll let Jeff unleash all that rage he has built up."

All Badger did was spit in his face.

"So be it, then," David said, before stepping aside.

Jeff walked right up to Badger and immediately punched him in the face. He punched him again and again, finally releasing all the rage and hatred built up for so many things Badger had done that had affected him. Finally, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough, Jeff," Clementine said.

Jeff reluctantly lowered his hands and walked to stand beside her.

"Sure is a shame you lost Abby, Jeff," Badger taunted, as he walked away.

The comment sent Jeff over the edge, as he turned and tackled him to the ground. He resumed beating Badger until he was barely conscious, before Conrad and Tripp pulled him back.

"Let go of me!" Jeff yelled. "He deserves it!"

"Yes he does," Tripp replied. "But not like this!"

They released him and he glared at Badger, wanting to pummel him into the concrete.

"If you kill him," Clementine said. "You'll be just like him. You've never been one to get revenge, Jeff, so why start now?"

Jeff realized she was right and backed away, allowing David to talk to his subordinates.

"After all the work we've done together," he began. After all that time spent building and preparing New Frontier for better things. This is how you repay me?"

"It wasn't all our fault, David," Max said. "Joan ordered us to do this."

"Joan did this?" David asked.

"It's true," Lonnie replied. "Prescott, the Kingdom, and all the others...was our doing on her orders."

"And shooting at Mariana," Javier said. "Was that her doing, too?"

"Nah, that was Badger being angry at you for taking our gas," Max said.

David looked at his brother.

"You told me about this, didn't you?" he asked.

"I did," Javier replied. "Just this morning. And I tried to tell them I didn't know. But Badger wouldn't listen."

"You should've checked before you just took the gas," Badger said, weakly. "We might've let you have some. But you instead just took what wasn't yours. Made yourself a target."

"I'm sorry for that," Javier said. "I never meant to cause any trouble. I was just looking out for what I thought was the only family I had left."

"And I'm sorry to taking you hostage and nearly killing the girl," Badger said, sounding surprisingly sincere.

Everyone smiled at the truce...well, almost everyone.

"It's fine and dandy that you got Javier on your side," Jeff said. "But that doesn't excuse what you did to those kids...and your part in Abby's abduction."

Badger had no words to respond with. He knew those would be hard to move on from, but he also knew he couldn't handle another beating from Jeff.

"I know you're angry about that," he said. "But maybe we can sort that out, in time."

Jeff nodded in agreement, though he wasn't buying the sudden change in the man.

"So what now?" Conrad asked.

"I think it's obvious," David replied. "We're going back to Richmond to sort out this mess with Joan...and return the kids to Jeff and Clem."

Soon, the group was loaded into Badger's truck and the one stored in the warehouse and headed for Richmond.

 **That's it for this chapter! I decided to cut it off here, rather than the actual ending for "Above The Law" because I'm working the events from said ending from Jeff's experiences, rather than Javier's, so we can see a different side of it. Hope you enjoyed it. See you next time!.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Searching For Answers**

It wasn't long before the group arrived at Richmond. However, before they entered the sewers to sneak in, Jesus announced he had to hurry back to his people to warn them of the raids, promising to return as he left. Everyone trusted him to keep his promise, and returned their attention to the task at hand. After some walking, David finally signalled to them that they were well past the guards at the wall and opened a manhole to climb out of. Once they were all out, he turned to address them.

"I'm thinking this will go a lot better if we split up," he said. "A group this big can't exactly sneak around."

Everyone nodded in agreement. With ten people, they weren't exactly inconspicuous.

"Here's what we'll do," David continued. "Tripp, Javi and Eleanor will go make sure Kate and the kids are safe, Jeff and Clem will begin looking for AJ and Abby...and the rest of us will go to the cathedral to talk to Joan about the raids."

"What should we do if we hear things go south for any of the teams?" Javier asked.

"If we can, we should help them," David replied. "If we can't...we can't. For now, I'll see what allies can be rallied to help confront Joan. The rest of you need to get started."

Everyone nodded and went their separate ways, as Jeff and Clementine began to think of places to find AJ and Abby. They checked several empty houses and apartment buildings, before stopping to rest.

"There's a lot of places they could be," Jeff said.

"We have to keep looking, Jeff," Clementine replied. "They need us."

Jeff nodded in agreement. The kids were important to them, for many reasons and it was their duty to rescue them from the growing threat. Moving on, they searched more buildings, before discovering David's home, where Kate, Gabe, and Mariana were staying.

"Clem!" Gabe called, upon seeing her at the door. "You're back!"

"I had to come back, Gabe," Clementine replied. "I have to find AJ."

"Who's AJ?" Kate asked.

In response, Jeff proceeded to tell them the shortened version of their story, which eventually lead to who AJ and Abby were to them. The reactions from Kate and the kids told them all they needed to know about how they felt.

"Wow, you guys have had it rough," Mariana said.

"We sure have," Jeff replied. "Life's dealt us many bad hands, but we keep bouncing back. We're a team. We don't quit or back down in the face of danger. And we don't give up on our own."

"We can help you find them," Gabe offered.

"It's too risky, Gabe," Clementine replied. "If your dad's visit with Joan doesn't end well, I'm sure all three of you will be in danger."

"What do you mean?" Gabe asked. "What's going on?"

Jeff sighed and told them what had happened at the warehouse, including what Badger, Lonnie and Max had told them about Joan and the raids.

"So because of Joan,' Kate began. "Mai was almost killed and PRescott fell."

"Not just Prescott," Jeff replied. "Numerous other towns and communities were raided by New Frontier on her orders."

Kate gasped.

"Javi went to join him," she said, in shock.

Jeff and Clementine looked at each other. Without a word, they agreed that David's plan was likely to fall apart at any second, with Javier caught in the middle of it.

"I'll go see if I can find him," Jeff said.

"I'll go with you," Gabe said, started to join him.

"No, Gabe," Jeff said. "You need to stay here. "What would your dad say if you needlessly risked your life?"

Gabe reluctantly backed up and accepted the decision. Within seconds, Jeff was gone, leaving behind a promise to get the Garcia brothers back safely, if he could.

Jeff silently walked and he kept himself hidden from being spotted. His search had almost turned up empty handed when he remembered hearing someone speak of the old church being where the leaders met to discuss things. Once he sorted out where the church was, he set his sights on checking to see if anyone was inside. Slowly and carefully, he approached the main doors, slowly picking up a conversation inside.

"...you accuse Badger, then you come after me."

"Would someone please explain what's going on?"

"I can."

"Lonnie...Badger…"

At the sound of those names from David's mouth, Jeff knew he had been right to not trust them.

"They attacked us. Tried to murder Max and Badger," Lonnie lied.

"You son of a *****," David said, with anger in his voice.

"They would've got all of us, but we got lucky when we convinced them to stop," Lonnie continued.

"Are you kidding me?" Javier said. "You have the nerve to accuse us?"

Jeff tuned the conversation out to think of how to get his allies out of their situation. Numerous plans came to mind, but nothing seemed to make sense to try carrying out alone and he didn't have time to run back to help from Trip, Conrad and Clementine. Suddenly, something in the conversation caught his attention, once more.

"We did that," Lonnie said. "We looted those communities...hurt those people...because David told us to. Not Joan."

"This is wrong, Lonnie," Javier said. "You and Badger have to tell them the truth!"

Jeff had to duck for cover as the bald girl who had lead them out of Richmond walked out the door, shaking her head. Again, he heard things escalate inside.

"Paul," David said. "You have to stop her or the blood from those raids is on your hands!"

Linguard then tried to get everyone to stop and cool down, but Joan wasn't having it.

"Don't try and drag him into your mess, David," she said. "The things you've done...they're an assault on what we've built here. You and your brother- you're going to have to answer for them."

Things got worse, when Lonnie provoked David into attacking him. The last thing Jeff heard, as he ducked for cover, was the sounds of gunshots.

 **Hey guys, I'm back again. 2 updates so close together? I haven't done that since I worked on "We're A Team"! Anyways, I kept this short, because I wanted to set the stage for the events to come. As always, if you enjoy this, Review, Follow, and/or Favorite! Have a good day!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Plans And Preparations**

Jeff ran as fast as he could to get back to David's house and report what he'd seen and heard. And what he'd seen was pretty bad, especially since he had watched David and Javier being hauled off to the quarantine room, which he realized was actually a holding cell. Finally, he reached the front door and went inside, to find surprised looks on everyone's faces.

"Jeff?" Clementine said. "Are you okay?"

"No," he replied, as he caught his breath. "I couldn't even get inside the church. Joan turned the blame squarely on David and Javi, with Lonnie and Badger supporting her!"

Tripp and Conrad were not happy to hear that.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted Bader's change," Tripp said.

"No surprise that he and Lonnie turned on them," Conrad added. "But why pin it on David and Javier?"

"They were David's men," Jeff said. "Lonnie, Max, and Badger took orders from him. At least, they used to. Max wasn't inside when I was there, so he's either hiding, or really is on our side."

Everyone stopped to think for a few moments, before speaking again.

"With Javi and David locked up," Conrad began. "What are we gonna do?"

"We have to get them out!" Gabe said, with determination.

"Gabe's right," Jeff said. "If we're going to expose Joan's work, we'll need them. David is a key player, since he's one of the leaders. Since my first attempt failed, I'll go and get them out, then bring them back here."

Everyone agreed, and Jeff set out on his mission. However, he quickly realised he wasn't alone.

"Wait for me!" Gabe called.

"Shhh!" Jeff replied, quietly. "Do you want to alert all of New Frontier that we're here? We don't know who's in on Joan's schemes and who your dad's friends are!"

"S-sorry," Gabe said. "I just wanted to come help."

"It's alright, Gabe," Jeff replied. "You can come, but keep quiet. Last thing we need is to end up in the same predicament as your dad and uncle...or worse."

Gabe shut up at the last part and they continued walking. After several minutes and a few close calls with patrols, they finally reached the building where Javier and David were being held. As they approached the basement windows, Jeff heard glass break and immediately ran to the window he heard the sound come from. There, relieved to see them, was Javier.

"We've been looking for you!" Gabe said with quiet excitement. "Where's dad?"

"Joan took him for questioning," Javier replied. "Get me out and I'll explain what I can."

"Don't worry, Javi," Jeff replied. "We know everything."

Jeff paused his explanation when Javier handed him the pipe he'd used to bust the window glass to pry the bars loose and immediately set to work. Together, the trio managed to break the bars free and Javier was able to climb out. Without a word, they hurried back toward David's house. As they went, they heard a loud noise.

"What's that?" Javier asked.

Jeff listened a little longer and finally realized what it was.

"There's a herd of walkers outside," he said.

Not wanting to stick around, they hurried toward David's house...only to find it empty. Fortunately, they were left a note that explained where everyone had gone.

"Why would they move?" Jeff asked.

"Kate didn't like David's house, I guess," Javier replied. "Come on, let's go to this apartment building they went to."

It took some searching, and dodging more patrols, but they finally found the building they were looking for and quietly went inside. As they approached the apartment from the note, they heard Tripp and Eleanor talking about their feelings for each other, which make their arrival feel awkward. However, they still had to get inside, to avoid being seen, so Jeff carefully opened the door, alerting everyone to their presence.

"Hey," Kate said, as she hugged Javier. "About time you came back."

"Well, we had to navigate through Richmond to find your new hideout," Javier replied.

"I'm sorry," Kate said. "I just didn't like being in David's house.

Meanwhile, Jeff looked around and noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Clem?" he asked.

"She said something about going to find the kids, when she made a brief stop to check up on us," Conrad replied. "Something about Lingard knowing where to find them."

"I wish she would've waited for me," Jeff said, looking disappointed.

"She couldn't wait any longer," Mariana replied. "She wanted to wait, but she's desperate to find AJ. She said she'd make sure to return when she found out what she could from Doctor Lingard."

Jeff was about to say more when Tripp interrupted.

"I think we need better protection for ourselves," he said. "With some of us not exactly fit for hand-to-hand combat, I'd feel a whole lot safer with some guns."

"I can't argue there," Jeff replied. "Man, I wish I still had that automatic I had for months. It was a lucky find, one day. Abandoned with all the ammo I could need for mowing down walkers in my travels."

"Maybe it was stored in the armory when it was confiscated," the bald girl said, startling everyone.

"Maybe," Jeff replied. "Good idea...uuuh."

"Ava," the girl said. "I've been David's trusted right hand girl for a long time. I know how to get to the armory, where we can gather the weapons we need."

"Excellent," Javier replied. "Now, all we need is a plan."

"Let's worry about that once we've got the guns," Tripp said.

Everyone agreed and Jeff, Gabe, Javier, and Ava set out on their mission.

After a lot of sneaking around, the small raid group reached the armory.

"They used the post office for the armory?" Jeff asked.

"It suits the need," Ava said.

Suddenly, they heard someone walk out the front door and had to take cover. After a few seconds, a man walked out, holding a gun.

"That's bob," Ava said. "Must be his night to guard. I'll distract him and meet you inside."

Without another word from anyone, Ava got up and calmly walked over to Bob. After a few moments of talking, the pair walked away, leaving the door unguarded.

"Looks like that's our cue," Jeff said.

Javier and Gabe nodded in agreement and followed him inside.

Inside, they slowly navigated the halls until they stopped at the door Ava had mentioned on their walk. Unfortunately for them, the door was locked, leaving a nearby fire extinguisher the only way to get inside. After several loud attempts, Javier finally managed to break the knob off and the door opened. They found their prize in a room on the right side of the hall beyond the door, where numerous guns lay on tables and in racks, with ammunition boxes all around.

"Look at all of these," Javier said.

"They sure know how to prepare," Jeff said.

As he looked he spotted something familiar.

"Hello old friends," he said, as he picked up his guns that had been confiscated earlier.

As Jeff collected as much ammunition for his guns as he could, Javier and Gabe collected what they could for the rest of the group in a duffle bag. As they worked, Javier managed to find his baseball bat, which had been taken during his most recent encounter with Joan. Without hesitation, he picked it up and put it behind his back. As they worked, Ava walked in.

"Good to see you've been busy," she said.

Silently, they finished gathering what they could fit into two bags and walked out of the room.

Once outside, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad that's over," Javier said.

"So am I," Ava said. "Let's get going. We don't want to keep the others waiting."

Jeff didn't move when the others began walking, making Javier stop in confusion.

"Jeff?" he said. "You coming?"

"No," Jeff replied. "I have to catch up with Clem and see if she got Lingard to talk."

Javier nodded. He knew Jeff wanted to find Abby as much as Clementine wanted to find AJ, so he didn't argue with the man about his decision.

"Take care," he said.

"You too," Jeff replied, before vanishing around a corner.

The halls of the hospital were quiet as Jeff slowly worked his way to Lingard's office. At last, he found the right door and quietly opened...only to hear someone gasp in surprise. Looking toward the source, he saw a familiar face.

"Jeff!" Clementine said. "You scared me!"

"Sorry, Clem," Jeff replied. "You should've expected that I wouldn't let you have all the fun."

Clementine smiled, briefly.

"I just thought you were someone else," she said.

"Who would you be expecting?" Jeff asked.

"I know this wouldn't exactly look innocent to Joan or David," she replied.

"David's being held prisoner," Jeff said. "Joan showed her true colors and turned on him."

"Whoa," Clementine said. "So Max wasn't lying."

"Nope," Jeff said, as he turned his attention to an unconscious Doctor Lingard. "What has he told you?"

"Nothing," she replied. "He's been out of it since I got here."

After a few seconds, Clementine moved back to the cabinets and resumed her search. As she searched, Jeff heard her react as if she were in pain. Worried, he walked over to her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm...fine," she said.

Clearly, Jeff wasn't fooled.

Alright," she said. "I started...bleeding. I know it's a thing. I've traveled with women before and I know they all have it. What is it? I mean- Why is it- I just don't understand."

Jeff wasn't sure how to answer that, but he knew he had to say something.

"It's normal," he said. "You're growing up, so your body is changing. It's not an easy change, especially since you're going through it in the middle of all this, but you'll have to get used to it."

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"Well…" Jeff began, unsure of how to word his reply. "It just means...if you fall in love, you could eventually become a mom."

"Wasn't I already one for AJ?" she asked.

Jeff had to stop and think about that one. She was right. Ever since Rebecca died and their last group had fallen apart, she had been the only mother figure in AJ's life. All the times walkers came close to chomping down on his little hand or biting his face off and she had stopped them every time.

"I suppose you're right," he finally said.

He returned his attention to the doctor, who was finally starting to come out of his slumber.

"Clementine…" he said, still a bit out of it. "And Jeff. Did Javier and David get out?"

Jeff and Clementine both could see that Lingard was definitely not himself, but knew he wanted an answer.

"Javier's free, but David's been taken by Joan," Jeff said.

"That poor *******. He's...He's not getting out," Lingard said. "Guess there's only one, sure way to get away from Joan these days."

"Why should we care?" Clementine said. "He deserves it, after what he did to AJ and Abby."

"When AJ recovered...and he discovered Badger kidnapped Abby," Lingard said. "David stepped up to care for them."

Jeff was in shock. He'd been wrong about David this whole time?

"You say that like it's a good thing," Clementine said. "I really doubt he was a positive influence."

"David's the reason those kids are better off than ever before," Lingard said.

"We'll be the judge of that," Jeff replied. "We took care of them for much longer than you guys did. At least we didn't give up on them."

"I stand by what I said," Lingard said. "They're in the best shape I've seen since they got here."

"If he took such good care of them, why are we here asking you where they are?" Clementine asked.

So...so that's what this is about?" Lingard asked. "You wanna know where the kids are?"

He reached for a needle and a small bottle of some sort of medicine. Seeing what the label showed, Jeff knew what he wanted.

"You don't want to live anymore, do you?" he asked.

"I..I can't do this anymore," Lingard replied. "When David found me, he gave me a reason to live again. Care about the things I stopped caring about. With him imprisoned, I- I don't know if I can keep on caring anymore."

Jeff reached out and gently put his hand on Lingard's shoulder.

"Hang in there, doctor," he said. "You'll be alright. We'll get David out of this mess."

Then a faint smile appeared on Lingard's face.

"I'm glad someone cares," he said. "Maybe, when this is all over, I can help you reunite with the kids."

"I need to know now, doctor," Clementine said. "We've been separated from them for too long."

"I don't have the time to explain things to you," Lingard replied. "Not with Joan going around and round up alleged traitors."

Jeff and Clementine gasped.

"Better hurry on outta her before she shows up and finds you," Lingard added, before passing out again.

They stared at him for a moment before his words finally sank in.

"We better hurry back to the apartment," Jeff said.

"Right," Clementine replied, as they hurried out the door.

It was late into the night when they returned to the apartment, where they found everyone waiting.

"Clem!" Gabe said. "You're back!"

As Clementine accepted a brief hug from the boy, Jeff watched with interest. His long-time friend was growing up faster than he'd like, but he knew he couldn't stop it, if he wanted to. Returning his attention to more important matters, he walked over to Javier.

"I take it the guns got here safely," he said.

Javier patted the bag he'd carried and opened it up. Inside were all the guns they had collected from the armory.

"Had some close calls, but we got back alright," he said.

The two men then took notice of further interaction between Clementine and Gabe.

"I saved this for you," Gabe said, handing Clementine a handgun. "I-in case you came back."

"I already have one," she replied. "But...a back up wouldn't hurt."

Clementine then took the gun from Gabe and checked it over, before placing it on the counter and heading over to talk to Kate and Eleanor.

"Ooooh," Mariana said. "Someone's got a crush."

"Shut up," Gabe said, giving his sister a warning look.

"Might wanna back off, Gabe," Javier said. "She's not the only one to notice."

"It's not what it looks like," Gabe said, defensively.

"Okay," Jeff replied. "If you say so."

Gabe just rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving Jeff and Javier chuckling.

After several minutes of separate discussions, Conrad spoke up.

"Hate to break up the fun, but what are we gonna do, now that we have the guns?" he asked.

"We need a plan," Javier replied. "One that frees David and ends Joan's corrupt leadership. Richmond and New Frontier need strong leaders who care about everyone...even those outside their community."

"The challenge is gonna be getting rid of Joan," Jeff said. "Clint may change sides, once she's out of the way."

"How do you know?" Tripp asked.

Because it looks to me like he just follows her word and just goes with it," Jeff replied. "He may be one of the leaders, but he's not truly in charge."

"So we eliminate Joan," Kate said. "Then what? We just let him join us? What if he really is just like her?"

"We'll have to detain him until we can determine if he's safe to keep around or not," Jeff replied. "If we just kill him, we'll be no better than Joan or any of the other people I've encountered in the past who caused trouble."

He stopped and looked at Clementine, who knew what he was referring to.

"We can't let Richmond become like other communities I've seen," he continued. "We have to stop it before it's too late. Plus we can't really go anywhere with that herd out there."

Everyone let Jeff's words sink in. He was right. The need to save David and the fact that there was a herd outside, left them with only one option: fight to free David and stop Joan.

"So how do we do this?" Eleanor asked.

"Joan and her people are going to be at the square, right?" Ava said. "We need to take the fight to them."

"We go after Joan," Tripp added. "Our problems are solved."

"Great," Eleanor said. "So… how do we do that?"

"If we can turn the people against Joan," Javier replied. "We might not have to do this on our own."

"Light the match, they do the rest," Jeff said. "Sounds like something I once read in a series of novels."

"Okay," Tripp said. "After we take Joan out, we'll need a way out of this mess. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not much of a runner."

"We have an armored truck we used to use for walker defense," Ava said. "It's a little busted up, but...it's way better than nothing."

"People are gonna be patrolling the streets looking for us," Tripp replied. "So how far away is this truck?"

"I'll show you," Ava said.

Together, they all went to the window Ava lead them to and looked outside.

"We've been expanding," Ava continued. "Pushing out farther and making the safe zone bigger. Can't promise you that the walkers are all gone, but...that's where the truck is parked. We still that thing, nothing will be able to stop us."

"I'm not gonna lie to you," Javier said, addressing everyone. "This is going to be hard. But if we stick to what we said we'd do, it's possible. We've got the guns, the plan,...and soon we'll have that truck."

"I'm still in," Tripp said.

"Me too," Conrad said.

Everyone who spoke up solidified their stance to stick with the plan, despite reservations from some of them. Then Javier looked at Jeff and Clementine, who had yet to reply.

"Clem and I have been through worse," Jeff said. So it's a safe bet we're both in."

"Alright," Javier replied. "Me, Clem, Kate, and Gabe will go after the truck."

"Jeff, Eleanor, and I will gather supplies around here," Tripp said. "Here, take a walkie. I'll let you know when things kick off."

"Ava, you take the other one and keep checking in. No matter what," Javier said.

"I'll get my stuff and meet you at the square," Ava replied.

"Okay, let's move out," Javier said.

Even as her team moved toward the door, Clementine stopped to talk to Jeff.

"Be careful, Clem," he said. "We don't have the same odds as in the past."

"The odds were never in our favor, Jeff," Clementine replied. "Yet we still made it out alive every time."

"We sure did," Jeff said. "Still, watch your back. You never know when things could go south."

With a nod, Clementine moved to rejoin her team and was out the door seconds later. Jeff watched with concern as the door closed. Even though I trusted his friends, Jeff had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 **That's it for this chapter. I was tempted to just put the entirety of "Thicker Than Water" in this, but I felt it had to be cut off somewhere. What better place than when Jeff gets a bad feeling that something's about to go wrong? Anyway, I hope you enjoy and I'll see you for the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, I'm back. Hope you enjoy!**

 **When It Falls Apart**

It took less time than expected for Javier and his group to arrive at the old public works building where the truck they were after was stored, which made the four of them relax a little. However, this wouldn't last long, as they heard distant tell-tale signs of walkers.

"Clem," Javier said. "You and I will get the truck. Kate and Gabe, stay back here. Be ready for anything."

"Maybe Gabe could come along," Clementine suggested. "I need someone to watch my back, after all."

Gabe looked just as surprised as Javier and Kate.

"Are you sure?" Javier asked.

"I'm sure," Clementine replied.

"Alright then," he said, motioning for Gabe to join them.

Slowly, they walked toward the building, passing an old pick up truck, an excavator, and a bulldozer as they went.

"That bulldozer would be good for clearing the muertos out of our way," Gabe said.

"Yeah, but it and the excavator are too slow for an escape," Clementine replied.

As they finished talking, they reached one of the truck doors for the building and Javier carefully opened it up. Once inside, they found the armored truck Ava told them about.

"Think it'll open?" Gabe asked.

"I'd say there's a 50/50 chance it will," Clementine replied.

With a quick check, Javier opened the driver side door.

"Smart***," he said, as he slowly climbed in.

As he began to look around, the unexpected happened. Across the garage, the lights for the office turned on and two men appeared, talking to each other. Moving quickly, Javier ducked down and the teenagers hid behind the truck. As they tried to listen in, Kate crept inside.

"Early risers," she said. "We have to hurry before more show up."

"Can't start the truck without those guys noticing," Javier said. "However…"

"However what?" KAte asked.

"If we push it," Javier replied. "We could have a good amount of distance between us and them before starting it."

Without a word, Kate climbed into the driver seat.

"I'll steer," she said. "You guys push."

"You read my mind," Javier replied, with a smile.

Without further discussion, they set to work and slowly began pushing the truck out of the garage. After what felt like an hour, they finally had enough distance to feel safe about starting the truck and stopped.

"I doubt they'll be able to hear us from here," Kate said, as she stepped out. "Even if they do, it's not like they can stop us, now."

"No, but they can alert Joan," Clementine replied.

"There's no key in there," Kate added. "Guess it'll have to be hotwired."

Javier nodded, knowing he would have to be the one to do it, and walked over to the door. Just then, he realized something.

"Ah ****," he said. "Need something to strip the wires."

With some direction from Kate, he found a tool box with a pair of wire cutters inside. Things finally seemed to be going their way...until a walker grabbed his wrist faster than he could think. Acting fast, he grabbed a stray crowbar and bashed the creature's head with one hit, freeing his hand in the process. The brief struggle over, he got up and walked back to the truck. There, he opened the door where the wires were and cut each one. Working systematically, he began working to start the truck...until he heard a crashing noise.

"We've got company," Clementine said.

Javier looked up.

"Just great," he said. "Turning the headlights on attracted their attention."

Working fast, he carefully put the remaining wires together three times before the truck finally started.

"Everyone in!" he said, as the two guards ran out in time to see what was happening.

Without further conversation, everyone got inside and Javier stepped on the gas, leaving the garage and the walkers behind.

Meanwhile, Jeff, Tripp, and Eleanor were busy getting what they could ready. Mariana had helped for a while, but decided to sit down on the couch, after the worries over her family began to become a hindrance. Jeff noticed this and decided to see if he could help her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm just...worried about them," she replied.

"They'll be fine," he said. "If they can survive this long with you, I'm sure they'll be alright. Besides, they have Clem with them."

"Clementine's been with you since the beginning of this mess, right?" she asked.

"Well, not that long," Jeff replied. "Several months into this, I found this sad and lonely nine-year-old girl outside Savannah, Georgia. Everything had gone wrong for her, leaving her the last known survivor of her group. I took it upon myself to help her learn how to survive and how to know who can and can't be trusted. Other than a few times we've been separated, we've been a team ever since."

"Whoa," Mariana said, in amazement. "No wonder she was so happy to see you again at Prescott."

Jeff smiled and nodded in response.

"The way I see it, that's a team that'll never be separated," Tripp added, from the kitchen. "You two have lasted longer than most groups do, from what I've heard."

"That's exactly right, Tripp," Jeff replied.

"I hate to break up story time," Eleanor interrupted. "But I see Joan coming this way."

"**** it!" Tripp said. "Jeff, get Mariana out of this apartment. Take her somewhere safe."

"What about you two?" Jeff asked.

"We'll think of something," Tripp replied. "Just get going before it's too late!"

Without another word, Jeff lead Mariana out the door and down the hallway. They nearly made it to the apartment he had chosen when he heard footsteps a little too close for comfort. Thinking fast, Jeff told Mariana to go to the closest one. However, he was forced to go back the way they had come from and hide three apartments down from her.

"This isn't good," he whispered to himself.

Back at the armored truck, Javier and company were waiting for Ava to contact them. As they sat, Gabe decided to teach Clementine how to play different card games, while Javier and Kate watched the sunrise.

"Feels nice to be driving around with two kids in the back seat again," Kate said, with a smile.

"Sure does," Javier replied. "Though, there are things I sure won't miss."

"Such as?" Kate asked.

"New Frontier giving us trouble," Javier replied. "Among other things."

Kate smiled, then looked back where Clementine was teasing Gabe about one of the rules of the card game they were playing.

"I think he likes her," she said.

"They do seem to be getting along better, now," Javier replied.

There's more to it than that, Javi," Kate replied. "Remember how you, Jeff, and Mari were teasing him back at the apartment?"

"Yeah," Javier replied.

Then he realized what Kate was getting at.

"Oh!" he said. "So Mari was right?"

"Mhmm," Kate replied. "It's not fair, really."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"In a short while," she replied. ""Their little romance will be pushed aside, as we get back to the fight."

"Then they better enjoy it," he replied.

"We better enjoy it, too, Javi," Kate said. "We never did figure out what was going on between us."

"Well, we kinda had some problems come up," Javier replied.

"You say that like I wasn't there," she teased.

The two continued to talk about events, including the times they both thought they were going to die. Eventually, Kate decided to get an answer to the question that had been nagging her for days.

"Javi," she said. "I know things have been rough. Nearly losing Mari, you being taken hostage by New Frontier, and so many other things. Even then, you and I have had our moments. Moments were we got closer than ever. I know there were times I seemed like the strong one, but...you being by my side helped a lot."

"I had to be there," Javier replied. "With David believed to be dead, someone had to be there for you and the kids."

"And that's just what we needed," Kate said. It made the difference."

"The kids needed someone to set an example for them," Javier replied. "Besides, I can't turn my back on family. Not anymore."

"I get it," Kate said, with a smile. "Look, there's no graceful way to say this, so I'll just say it. Those moments we've had… I know they were a little hot, confusing, and maybe some of them meant nothing, but… Before whatever happens, tomorrow, happens. I want you to know that I want to give whatever this thing is between us a chance. I know David being in our lives again complicates things.. Do you feel the same way?"

"Absolutely," Javier replied without hesitation.

"Oh my god, really?" Kate said. "So.."

Her next question was cut off by a kiss from Javier, gaining attention from the teeagers behind them.

"About time," Clementine whispered.

"You knew this was coming?" Gabe asked.

"Just a feeling," she replied. "When you see people in your groups begin to fall in love, over and over, you tend to pick up on the signs."

Gabe was about to reply when Kate spoke up again, unaware of the audience she and Javier now had.

"Okay," she said. "So we're doing this. You do realize that a weird conversation with David is coming, right?"

"It would be the right thing to do, in this situation," Javier replied. "Can I just say how lame it is?"

Kate was about to reply when she was interrupted by Ava on the walkie.

"Javi! It's an execution over here. Joan's planning on hanging David in front of everyone!" she said. "You've got to get over her, now! Leave the truck. If they see it, he's as good as dead. If you can just get into the square-"

The sudden silence raised all kinds of alarms for them.

"This isn't good!" Clementine said.

"Was Ava caught?" Gabe asked.

"Calm down, Gabe," Javier replied. "She may have just been forced to cut off to avoid detection. The only way to know is to do as she said."

The decision made, Javier left Kate in charge of the truck while he, Clementine, and Gabe snuck into the main square.

Elsewhere, Jeff had his own problems.

"Ava, do you copy?" he said.

Once more, he got static. With their walkies on the same frequency, Ava's message to Javier had gone to him, as well. The fact that she had been cut off not only worried him, but also brought back some unpleasant memories. To make matters worse, Javier had gone silent as well. This meant only one thing to Jeff: The plan was falling apart.

As he walked into the square, he heard a voice above the gathering crowd.

"I don't know about the rest of you- but I didn't want to be here today. The people of Richmond deserve to be safe! David Garcia has to be punished for what he has done!"

"Joan," he said, as the owner of the voice came into view. "Looks like she's about the hang David...I can't save him alone."

"You're not alone," Clementine said from behind him.

Jeff turned to see her with Javier and Gabe.

"You guys had me worried," he said. When I didn't hear anyone reply, I thought the worst."

"We had to keep quiet," Javier whispered.

"For years, now," Joan continued. "Richmond has been governed by one simple principle: strong council, strong community. But, unfortunately, the actions of one council member: our security expert David Garcia, have put us all in-"

"She's lying to you!" David interrupted, earning a glare from Joan.

Quickly, she returned her attention to the crowd.

"I'm sorry to have to show you this," she said. "Truly, I am. But you all need to see." She motioned to the guards behind her to drop a curtain. "Just look what he's done!"

The makeshift curtain fell to reveal the bodies of Lonnie and Badger, earning gasps from the crowd. The group slowly moved closer to the stage, still trying to keep from being discovered.

"David murdered these men in cold blood!" Joan said. "I watched in happen before my eyes. Two of the best men I ever knew- cut down in their prime! Is this who you want in charge? Someone this reckless? This cruel? Not if I have anything to do with it!"

"I can't believe this is happening," Gabe whispered. "She's really gonna do it. She can't."

"Keep your cool, Gabe," Jeff said. "Joan may be smart, but we're smarter."

"We can't mess this up," Gabe said, as he turned to his uncle.

"Javier!" Joan said, making the group freeze in shock. "I heard you were going to crash our little party. Why not come up and show your face to everyone?"

"Happy to!" Javier replied, without hesitation. "Been waiting for this."

"I'll try to not disappoint you," Joan said, sarcastically. "I had a very interesting conversation with your friend Eleanor last night. Isn't that right Eleanor?"

"That's..that's right," Eleanor replied, as Jeff glared at her.

Joan then went on about how Eleanor revealed the whole plan to her: from how they were going to turn the people against her to freeing David. She then made a bold statement.

"Did you really think the plan was going to work?" she asked.

"I still plan to do it!" Javier replied.

"Appreciate the honesty," Joan said. "Which makes this...so much harder. Here in Richmond, people who put themselves before the rest don't last long."

"Sounds like someone I dealt with a few years ago," Jeff replied.

Clementine gave him a look that said she knew he was referring to their troubles with Carver.

"And how did that turn out for you, Jeff?" Joan asked.

"We took down the community with very little effort," Jeff replied. "Of course, that was a community set up in an old hardware store."

"There's the difference, Jeff," Joan said. "This isn't some small setup. You can't just come in here and hope to take it over or destroy it." She turned to the guards. "Bring them out."

To the shock of everyone in the group, as well as David, Tripp, Ava, and Mariana were lead out of the shadows. Tied and with guns to their heads.

"Mari!" Javier called.

"You sick, twisted *****!" David yelled.

The trio were forced to their knees before the crowd, as Javier and Jeff tried to wrap their minds around the unexpected turn of events.

"David tried to tear this community down," Joan continued. "Told his people where to get weapons and sure enough, they picked us clean! Did you really think you could ride in and use our own weapons to stage a coup? Something like that...just can't be let go. You've put me in a no-win situation here. So I'll do the same in return! All of them deserve to die for the crimes of your people. However, I'll let you choose one to save, Javi. Just one."

"No!" Ava shouted.

"This can't be happening," Tripp said, with his eyes on Eleanor.

"No!" David cried. "Joan, don't do this!"

"I can't turn back now," Joan replied. "Not after what they did."

"Mariana is innocent in all of this!" Jeff called. "Let her go!"

"So willing to defend the helpless," Joan replied. "So typical of you, Jeff. I haven't forgotten all the trouble you've caused us, in the last few months!"

"Your people started it!" Jeff yelled, clearly enraged. "I haven't forgotten that the now deceased Badger murdered ten innocent children in cold blood, while the men in his charge held me in place to watch! I haven't forgotten how he then almost killed the innocent girl whose life is now threatened by you! I can keep naming my reasons for fighting your men, but I think I've made my point!"

"The blame game!" Joan said, as she chuckled. "How cute! You bring up the past, as if you're some saint in all of this. Have you forgotten that in both situations you mentioned you killed over a dozen good men in total?"

"They deserved what they got!" Jeff said.

"We've dragged this on long enough," Joan said, clearly ready to end the situation. "Javier. Choose before I choose for you."

Javier looked up at Joan, unable to reply.

"Maybe this will help you think," she added.

Suddenly, Jeff, Gabe, and Clementine all had guns to their heads.

"Time's running out to choose, Javi," Joan said. "So choose quickly and wisely. Your friend. Your brother's Lieutenant. Or his daughter."

"Javi, I know this is hard," David said. "But please, for the love of God, save Mariana!"

The stress was too much for Javier, but he knew he had no other options.

"Mari should live," he said, as he gave Tripp and Ava an apologetic look.

On stage, Ava cursed at the fact she would die, but was thankful Javier made the right choice. Tripp echoed her reaction and looked at Eleanor, for what he expected to be the final time.

"You've made David happy, yet upset, all at once," Joan said. "Regardless, I admire your loyalty to family." She motioned to one of the guards. "Shoot her."

"What?!" Jeff exclaimed.

"What the ****, Joan?" David yelled.

"Wait! I said Mari should live!" Javier said, as the gun was put to his niece's head.

"You did," Joan said. "But there's something else you must understand. Betrayal."

"You can't do this!" Eleanor shouted. "She's just a kid!"

"I can do anything I want!" Joan spat, as she turned back to Javier. "You brought this on yourself! Do it!"

As the order was given, Jeff let out an enraged yell and charged at the stage, leaping up and diving toward Mariana as a gunshot rang out.

 **Who will live and who will die, as the final chapters of this story approach? Follow and favorite this story, if you want to find out!**


	11. Chapter 10

**The Beginning of the End**

"Javi, I know this is hard," David said. "But please, for the love of God, save Mariana!"

The stress was too much for Javier, but he knew he had no other options.

"Mari should live," he said, as he gave Tripp and Ava an apologetic look.

On stage, Ava cursed at the fact she would die, but was thankful Javier made the right choice. Tripp echoed her reaction and looked at Eleanor, for what he expected to be the final time.

"You've made David happy, yet upset, all at once," Joan said. "Regardless, I admire your loyalty to family." She motioned to one of the guards. "Shoot her."

"What?!" Jeff exclaimed.

"What the ****, Joan?" David yelled.

"Wait! I said Mari should live!" Javier said, as the gun was put to his niece's head.

"You did," Joan said. "But there's something else you must understand. Betrayal."

"You can't do this!" Eleanor shouted. "She's just a kid!"

"I can do anything I want!" Joan spat, as she turned back to Javier. "You brought this on yourself! Do it!"

As the order was given, Jeff let out an enraged yell and charged at the stage, leaping up and diving toward Mariana as a gunshot rang out. Javier looked in shock, expecting to see his niece fall dead, but was instead greeted with the sight of Jeff standing up, with a fresh wound in his side, and helping Mariana to her feet. While this was happening, Clint had freed David and came forward with an offer.

"We exile, Joan," he said. "We don't kill. Especially children. Javier, I offer you a chance to take your people and leave. Get as far away from here as possible and then you'll be free to do your own thing."

Javier considered the offer, momentarily, then made up his mind.

"We'll go. We'll take what we brought with us and-" BANG!

The next thing anyone saw was the lifeless body of Clint falling to the floor of the gallows and David standing over him with a smoking handgun.

"David, what the ****!" Javier said.

"I wasn't buying the offer," David replied. "It was a trick."

"The only trick here, David, is yours," Joan said. "Shoot him! Shoot them all!"

Without a second thought, Javier and the rest of the group sprang into action, while Jeff freed Ava and Tripp. Immediately, they grabbed any loose gun they could find and shot every hostile that came their way. As he joined Clementine in guarding Mariana, Jeff couldn't help but wonder just where David had gone to. It wasn't until he saw a familiar face that he realized that the elder Garcia brother had collected Ava and set off to find Joan, who had run off in the chaos.

"That idiot," Jeff said.

"He'll get himself killed!" Tripp added.

"That's the last thing we need!" Javier said, clearly annoyed.

More gunfire forced them to seek shelter behind the concrete supports, as Jeff, Tripp, and Javier returned fire and ended the lives of five New Frontier guards. As they dodged bullets, Jeff noticed that Clementine had been forced to a nearby stairway, where three hostiles had her pinned.

"Clem's in trouble," he said. "We have to help her!"

Moving quickly, Jeff lead the group to her location and within seconds took out the men shooting at her.

"You've gotta stop ending up on your own," Jeff teased.

"Hey, not my fault," Clementine replied, in mock-offense.

More gunfire is exchanged as the situation got worse.

"I know David was going to do something to **** this up," Clementine said. "I told you what he was like. When will you start believing me?"

Javier was about to reply when a bullet got too close to his ear for comfort.

"Get down!" Jeff ordered.

"I hear gunfire," Kate said, over the walkie. "What's going on out there?"

"Kate," Javier replied. "We've gotta get out of here. Things have not gone according to plan! Can you bring the truck over?"

"On my way," Kate replied, and the radio was silent once more.

Just then, a cylindrical object landed on a step near Jeff and immediately began smoking.

"Tear gas!" he called, as he covered his face with his arm.

"Let's get out of this stairwell," Conrad said.

Without another word, everyone moved quickly and carefully to get out of the gas. As they walked, Javier nearly crashed into another hostile and wound up struggling for control of the gun the man was holding. After a few seconds, he finally nroke it from the man's grip and used it to knock its former owner to the ground. As soon as the task was complete, they all heard a vehicle approaching.

"It's Kate," Clementine said. "She's coming for us."

"About time," Jeff said. "Getting sick of these people shooting at us."

Immediately, Javier began to wave at her, to signal their location. Unfortunately for them, someone from New Frontier noticed the truck and hurled a molotov at it, scoring a direct hit on the hood. Immediately, KAte's vision was obscured by fire and smoke and she began weaving along the street, heading right for Conrad.

"Look out!" Jeff called, as he shoved himself and Conrad out of the way.

With no time to even think, they both got up and watched the truck narrowly miss Javier, as well. What happened next had everyone frozen in shock. Her vision impaired, Kate couldn't see and crashed hard into the makeshift wall.

"Kate!" Javier called.

"We've gotta get over there before-"

A large explosion under the truck cut Clementine off and knocked some of them off their feet.

"Nooo!" Mariana called.

"Kate!" Javier said, clearly upset at the turn of events.

As they stared, Jeff caught movement beyond the now destroyed wall.

"Looks like Kate's fate is the least of our concerns," he said, pointing to the breach.

Through the fire, came part of the walker herd that had been outside, as Richmond's citizens ran for their lives.


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, I'm back, with the longest chapter of the story! For those who have read and enjoy it, I think you. And now, for something new to my stories- responses to reviews.**

 **WDFan: If you think that's bad, wait until you read this chapter! I will note that this was the idea I had all along, once I decided that Jeff would save Mariana at the junkyard. Sure does make Joan have a Carver moment, to me.**

 **Through the Chaos**

 _Previously..._

" _Look out!" Jeff called, as he shoved himself and Conrad out of the way._

 _With no time to even think, they both got up and watched the truck narrowly miss Javier, as well. What happened next had everyone frozen in shock. Her vision impaired, Kate couldn't see and crashed hard into the makeshift wall._

" _Kate!" Javier called._

" _We've gotta get over there before-"_

 _A large explosion under the truck cut Clementine off and knocked some of them off their feet._

" _Nooo!" Mariana called._

" _Kate!" Javier said, clearly upset at the turn of events._

 _As they stared, Jeff caught movement beyond the now destroyed wall._

" _Looks like Kate's fate is the least of our concerns," he said, pointing to the breach._

 _Through the fire, came part of the walker herd that had been outside, as Richmond's citizens ran for their lives._

Jeff watched from his new hiding place as Javier slowly got up and realization fully set in.

"No, no!" he called, before making a run for the wrecked truck.

What walkers managed to avoid being scorched in the fire were quickly filling the street, but that didn't slow Javier down. He gunned two down and bashed three on the head with his bat, before being forced to take cover as a pair of New Frontier members opened fire on him. Behind Jeff, a voice nearly made him jump.

"He's going to get himself killed trying to save her!" Mariana said.

"Your uncle's a tough man," Jeff replied. "He'll be alright. Still… I wish I hadn't lost my gun in the act of saving Conrad, so I could help him."

Before he could say anymore, a high-pitched scream interrupted him. Turning toward one of the apartment buildings, he gasped as a cluster of walkers were going after a little girl, who was backed into a corner.

"We have to help her!" Mariana said.

"Now I really want my gun back," Jeff replied. "We can't just charge at them, that'd be- Wait! What are you doing?!"

While Jeff had been speaking, Maraina did what he had been speaking against doing and charged at the walker closest to the girl. Left with no choice, he ran after her. Together, they knocked two of the walkers down, before Jeff found a stray piece of wood and whacked them and the others hard in the head, killing most of them instantly. Seeing one still alive, he hit it a few more times to be sure it was dead, before turning his attention to Mariana.

"That was a reckless move," he said. "You could've been killed."

"It had to be done," she replied. "If I hadn't, we would've watched that girl die."

Suddenly, Jeff remembered the girl they had saved and turned to see her still trembling in the corner she had been trapped in. Slowly, he knelt down to talk to her.

"You're safe, now," he said. "They won't hurt you, anymore."

The girl didn't reply. She only stared at him, as if trying to decide if he was friendly or not. Seeing that she needed proof he was there to help, he slowly reached his right hand toward her.

"It's okay," he said, in a soothing tone. "We're not going to hurt you. If you'll just let me help you, we can get you somewhere safe."

"S-s-somewhere where my mommy and daddy could be?" she asked.

"We'll help you find them," Mariana replied, as a walker behind her was gunned down by Tripp.

Realizing they weren't safe where they stood, Jeff quickly and carefully scooped the girl up in his arms and carried her toward the main entrance of the building, with Mariana, Tripp, and Conrad in tow. Once inside, they realized the others were already there, waiting for them. Once everyone was inside, they quickly barricaded the doors with whatever they could find, until they felt safe enough to relax.

"That should hold, for a while," Javier said.

David looked to his son.

"You put up a good fight out there," he said.

"I don't care what you think," Gabe replied.

"Gabriel, do not take that tone with me!" David said.

"You murdered that man," Gabe replied. "After they let you go. You're a killer. Just like they said."

"You did that?" Kate asked.

"It was them or us!" David replied.

"It was uncalled for!" Jeff said. "Clint was willing to let us all go and you destroyed that."

"That's how you see it," David replied. "I'd do it again."

"Your actions nearly got us all killed!" Gabe said.

"I'm doing what any parent would do to keep you and your sister safe," David replied. "You do not get to judge my actions. Do you hear me?"

Having heard enough, Gabe began to walk toward his uncle.

"Hey, you do not walk away from me!" David said.

"He's not a little boy anymore, David," Javier said.

"He still needs to learn to keep quiet until he knows what he's talking about," David replied. HE then turned to his daughter. "Mariana, I saw what you did out there. Never do that again!"

Mariana jumped behind Jeff, the most convenient adult to use as a shield, and refused to look at him.

"I wish Jeff hadn't saved me at the junkyard," she said.

Everyone gasped at the ten year old's statement, while a look of hurt crossed her father's face.

"Your brother's attitude is rubbing off on you, I see," he said, shaking the shock off. "We'll have to fix that."

"Face it, David," Jeff said. "You've lost the trust of your son….and your daughter."

"I'm just...looking out for them, Jeff," David replied." You've never been a parent, so you wouldn't understand."

"You're wrong," Jeff said. "Taking care of Abby and helping with AJ made me well aware of the demands of parenthood. The need to protect them. It's you who no longer understands."

"Hey," Javier interrupted. "We made it through alive. So let's just be glad about that."

David sighed.

"We need to check the other entrances," he said, changing the subject. "Gabe, wanna help?"

Gabe looked to the floor, then to his uncle.

"Go ahead, Gabe," Javier said. "Just be careful."

"We'll watch each other's backs," David said.

Clementine stepped forward.

"I'll help, too," she said.

"O-okay," Gabe replied, as they followed David.

With the trio gone, everyone relaxed a little.

"He really has lost his mind," Conrad said.

"It's unfortunate it took us this long to realize it," Tripp added.

"I need to focus on something," Kate said. "MY mind's all over the place."

"How about we see what we can do to help," Jeff suggested.

"What can we do?" Mariana asked. "After what's been done, would they be willing to accept our help?"

"Only one way to find out," Javier said.

With that, everyone followed him upstairs.

They reached the floor where the apartment they had set up as their base was and immediately realized the effects of their actions.

"Oh my ***," Kate said, in shock. "This is a ******** nightmare."

As they looked, a little boy spotted them.

"Mommy," he said, as he looked to his mother. "It's them."

His mother looked at them with a glare, as did others who were alerted by the boy's words.

"They really hate us for this," Conrad said.

"I did this to them," Kate said, with a look of remorse. "That hole is there because of me."

"You didn't know that a molotov would be thrown at you, Kate," Jeff said, with a comforting tone. "That made driving hard."

"I could've braked, though." she replied.

"Jeff's right," Javier said. "It was an accident. A bad one, but...not on purpose."

"It's still my fault," Kate replied. "I can't leave until we've fixed this."

"Alright, then," Javier said.

"We'll help you," Tripp said, motioning to himself and Conrad.

"Let's find a way to make things right," Jeff said, as they approached the apartment.

Inside, they found Eleanor treating injuries on a man, while a young woman sat nearby. She looked miserable, with tears in her eyes and a bandage on her arm. Eleanor looked up from her work as they approached.

"You have a lot of nerve coming in here," she said, glaring at them. "These people blame you for this."

"You do realize that this isn't all our fault," Javier replied.

"You let Joan intimidate you until you betrayed us," Jeff added.

"I know," Eleanor replied. "But Joan lied to me! I couldn't see that until it was too late to stop it in time. I never thought it would be like this. You have to believe that. Everyone from Prescott is dead. Everyone but me, Tripp, and Conrad." She sighed and looked to the floor. "What's done is done. I don't have to like it, but I can't change it. But you...you have a lot of nerve showing up here, after the ******* you pulled."

"Hey, calm down, Eleanor," Jeff said, as Javier opened his mouth to speak. "We all have a part in this. We're all to blame. I know you didn't want to leave, but we do. You can stay, if you want, once we've fixed this mess."

"If it can be fixed," she replied.

"I believe it can," Kate said. "It'll just take a lot of work."

"Besides," Tripp added. "We owe it to them to try. If we can save Richmond, then you can stay. I'll even stay with you, so you have someone to talk to, until you get to know people around here."

"And that's all I want," Eleanor replied. "I can save lives here."

"She's making things right, in her own way," Kate said to Javier. "It's worth forgiving, right?"

"I know I forgive her," Tripp said, as he walked over the Eleanor. "She was tricked and we all know it."

"Me too," Jeff said. "Got trapped in a mess I didn't want involved, once before, so I know what she's dealing with."

"Everyone makes mistakes or gets trapped," Conrad added.

Javier thought for a moment, then made his choice.

"You're one of us, Eleanor," he said. "Whether you forgot or not, I haven't. I forgive you."

With the conversation over, Eleanor walked back over to the couch, where the man and woman were.

"What happened to him?" Jeff asked, noticing the bandage on his wrist.

Before Eleanor could reply, David, Gabe, and Clementine walked through the door.

"Fern? Is that you, darlin'?" the man asked, hearing the door.

"I'm here handsome," Fern replied.

"Fern and Rufus," David said, noticing the couple. "What's wrong with him?"

"Bitten," Eleanor replied, with a solemn look on her face. "He's slipping in and out of delirium."

"We have to find Ida," Rufus said, as Fern held his hand. "We have to find our daughter."

Jeff nearly jumped when the little girl he and Mariana had saved walked up beside him and spoke.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she said, recognizing the couple before her.

Fern looked up, in shock.

"Ida?" she said. "You're alive!"

Mother and daughter ran to each other and embraced in a tearful reunion, as nearly everyone else looked on with smiles. David, however, was still thinking about Rufus being bitten. Their reunion over, Fern put Ida behind her and picked up an axe.

"We'll have to cut his arm off," she said. "It should save him. It has to!"

Javier looked at Jeff, then David. Each gave him skeptical looks.

"I've only seen it work once, in the past," Jeff said. "And the guy had long had his arm cut off when I met him. Never found out how he managed to keep from bleeding out."

"Besides," Eleanor added. "It's too far along. Even if we did cut it off, he'll die a more painful death than what he's already going to. Do you want his last moments to be more pain and suffering? Or do you want them to be with you and your daughter?"

Fern lowered the axe, carefully, as she thought it over. After a short wait, she sighed and set the axe down.

"He'd wanna spend it with his family," she said.

Mommy," Ida said, from behind her mother. "Is daddy gonna die?"

Fern knelt down to be eye level with her daughter.

"He is," she said. "I'm sorry you got reunited with us, only to lose him."

Ida burst into tears and fell onto her mother's shoulder crying. Jeff felt her pain. He had seen scenes like this before...and likely would again, if things didn't get better. He turned to Javier, who just looked at him, unsure what to say. Suddenly, there was a gun pointed at him, with Fern holding it.

"We're all going to be dead because of you!" She snapped. "You broke a hole in the wall. Nearly got my little girl killed. Got my husband killed!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jeff said, stepping in between them. "None of this was supposed to happen. When we came, we were looking for a safe place to stay. Then Joan and Clint kicked us out for previous problems with New Frontier that we didn't even start. We returned to stop her, after we learned she ordered raids, to keep Richmond going. Unfortunately, she caught on to our plans. Yes, we caused some of this, but you need to look to David, if you want to blame anyone for starting this madness."

"Me?!" David replied, clearly offended. "What the **** did I do?"

"Killed Clint," Clementine said.

"Killed Lonnie," Rufus said, weakly, as he lay on the couch.

"Frightened your own children with your words and actions," Kate added.

David glared at his accusers, then turned to his brother.

"Javi, say something," he said. "Tell them they're crazy!"

"I'm sorry, David," Javier replied, shaking his head. "But they're right. Look at your kids. Mari's still hiding behind Jeff and Gabe refuses to look at you. The others are afraid, too. You've messed up, big time."

"So that's it, then," David said. "I'm all alone."

Enraged, David grabbed the gun from Fren's hand and walked over to Rufus.

"David?" the dying man asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," David replied. "But this has to be done."

"No!" Fern cried. "I'll take care of it! Let us say goodbye, first!"

"It's too late for goodbyes, Fern," David replied.

Before anyone could stop him, he pulled the trigger, ending Rufus' life. He then dropped the gun, turned, and walked out of the apartment, without a word. Everyone stood their in shock, while Fern and Ida cried in the background.

"Such an *******," Gabe said, as he walked away from the door.

Jeff watched Javier move toward the door, where Kate met him.

"I've seen that look in his eyes, before," she said. "You should go after him."

With a nod, Javier disappeared to find his brother. Meanwhile, Jeff, Gabe, Mariana, and Clementine had joined Eleanor in comforting Fern and Ida.

"My dad acted horribly," Gabe said. "I-I've never seen him like that, before."

"I don't think any of us who live here have," Fern replied, with a shaky voice. "I understand that Rufus had to be put down, but…"

"But the way it was done was all wrong," Clementine finished for her.

Feeling the need to say something, Jeff gently put his hand on Fern's shoulder, to get her attention.

"We're going to try to seal the hole in the wall," he said. "Then clear the walkers out, so Richmond can be safe, once more. You and your daughter will be able to continue living… just like Rufus would've wanted."

Fern wiped a tear from her eye, as she and her daughter looked at Jeff.

"Thank you," she said. "Tell Javier I'm sorry for how I acted… In case I never get to do it, myself."

"We will," Clementine promised.

As they talked, Kate walked up, looking concerned.

"We need to find out where Javi and David went," she said.

Immediately, she began to walk out the door, stopping as Clementine spoke up.

"You're not going alone," she said.

"If we're going to save Richmond," Jeff said, as he stood up. "We need to stick together. Collect Javi and David and take care of this mess."

As they left, Eleanor, Tripp, and Conrad wished them good luck, before Eleanor turned her attention to the grieving family, once more. They carefully worked their way upstairs toward the roof...and nearly ran Ava over, as she unexpectedly came around a corner.

"Jeez," she said, jumping back.

"Sorry," Jeff replied. "Were trying to find David and Javi."

"I was trying to find David, myself," Ava replied.

By the time the short conversation was over, Kate was long gone toward the roof, leaving them running to catch up. As they reached the steps to the roof, they heard her call to them.

"I found them!" she said. "They're up here!"

Quickly and carefully, they walked up and through the door. There, near the edge, were the men they were looking for. When Ava walked through the door, Javier stopped and stared at her.

"Before you say anything," she said. "You made the right call. Despite Joan's treachery, you made the right call."

Javier nodded, as a silent 'thank you', then walked toward Kate.

"There's so many," Kate said, as she looked down to the street. "They're pouring in."

"You don't know the half of it," Ava replied. "The herd has taken over Richmond. The streets are overrun with walkers. With that hole in the wall, this city is ******. We're not safe here. No one is."

The statement Kate, who still believed the whole situation was her fault.

"What have we done?" Kate asked.

"So what do we do?" Gabe asked. "I don't want to die up here."

"No one does, Gabe," Jeff replied.

"We take them out," Javier said. "Every single one of them."

"There's construction equipment at the motor pool, over by the water tower," David said, pointing to the location. "We can use the highway overpass to get there."

As his brother finished speaking, Javier walked toward a neighboring building.

"Come on," he said. "Let's jump."

"That's crazy!" Ava said.

"It's just a short gap between this building and the emergency stairs on the other one," Javier said. "We'll be fine."

Without another word, Javier ran for the platform and jumped, landing safely on it, before turning to face them.

"Come on," he said, motioning to the others. "It's an easy jump."

One by one, they all jumped across and climbed to the top. Once there, David and Javier checked to make sure they hadn't left anyone behind.

"Keep your eyes open, stay aware of your surroundings. All of you," David said, as he began to walk. "Let's move out."

Reluctantly, everyone followed David toward the overpass.

"When we found Kate, earlier, David said. "She hugged you. Why do you think that was?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Javier replied.

"She won't even look at me, Javi," David replied.

Soon, they reached a knocked over billboard, that was conveniently leaning against the overpass. As they walked, Jeff heard a man below them. Looking down, they were just in time to see the man be knocked down and become a meal for three walkers.

"We need to be careful up here," David said. "Or else the same thing will happen to one of us. Stay sharp and don't fire your guns. We're gonna be fine. That guy was all alone. We're not."

With that, he resumed his climb to the overpass. Once at the top, David and Javier took out two walkers that had been alerted to their presence, before everyone else joined them. They walked for a while, taking out the occasional walker, as they went. Soon, they came across a spot where part of the overpass hand fallen apart, leaving barely any room between a wrecked car and the ledge.

"There's barely any room," Kate said.

David didn't even bother to reply, as he carefully scooted along, sideways, and made it safely. One by one, they went across, until it was down to Javier, Kate, Jeff, and Ava. Despite her fears, Kate managed to get across, as did Javier. When Jeff took his turn, however, things went south. A walker appeared out of nowhere and attacked him, knocking him over the edge.

"Nooo!" Clementine yelled.

As quickly as Jeff was attacked, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, halting his fall. Looking up, he saw Ava, straining to keep her grip.

"Hang in there," she said. "Grab ahold of the ledge and you'll be able to pull yourself up."

Jeff nodded and quickly did as instructed, then began to pull himself up. Finally, he was safely on solid concrete and took a moment to catch his breath. After a moment, he stood up.

"Thanks," he said, as Ava made her way across.

"No problem," she replied. "Just be care- AAAAAH!"

Without warning, another walker appeared and knocked her down.

"Ava!" David called.

Jeff immediately reached out and grabbed her wrist, much like she had done for him.

"Hang on, Ava," he said, as he strained to pull her up.

David ran over and reached out to join the effort to save his Lieutenant.

"I'm slipping!" she called.

"Hang on, Ava," David replied. "We'll pull you up."

As David reached her other hand, she let out a cry of pain. Looking down, they saw the walker that had knocked her down had bit her ankle. Quickly, she kicked it repeatedly and finally knocked it free of her foot. They looked at the deep bite marks and realized what that meant. Knowing her fate was sealed, Ava looked up at her would-be rescuers.

"Let me go," she said.

"No," David replied. "I'm not giving up on you."

"If you save me," she said. "You'll endanger the group. You don't want me to turn and bite your daughter's face off, do you?"

David's head lowered at the question.

"David," Jeff said. "If you don't obey her wishes, we could all become walkers. I've seen it happen to groups, before. We can't risk it and she knows it."

David sighed in defeat.

"Alright," he said, looking down at Ava.

"Goodbye, David," she said.

Reluctantly, David released her left hand while Jeff released her right. For a few seconds, they watched her fall, before they couldn't look anymore. They heard a faint thud, signifying that she had hit the ground, as David dropped back against another car.

"**** it, Ava," he said, fighting tears.

They gave David some time to mourn, while keeping a lookout for anymore walkers, before they had to move on.

"Come on, David," Javier said, helping his brother up.

"She saved my life," Jeff said. "If not for her, I'd be dead. And you know I tried to return the favor, when she fell."

"I know," David said. "Let's go. Ava would kick my *** is she knew I was sitting around crying."

Moving on, they reached a gap in the overpass that would be impossible to get across, due to the gap being so large. However, Jeff saw a solution.

"See the helicopter?" he asked, looking to the group.

"Yeah," David replied.

"We can use the propellers to swing across," Jeff said, using hand motions to get his idea across.

"That's a crazy idea," Gabe said, as he and Clementine approached.

"Anyone have a better idea?" Jeff asked, as he checked the propeller and found it surprisingly sturdy.

.

Everyone shook their heads, confirming what he already knew. "I thought not," he said, as he turned to the kids. "Gabe, Mari, Clem, you three will go first, since you're the lightest of all of us."

Everyone nodded, as Gabe offered to be the one to test the plan. Taking hold, he got a running start and held on, as he ran out of pavement to run on. Reaching the other side of the gap, he landed safely and quickly returned the propeller to the others. Mariana went next, then Clementine, with neither one having trouble, tough Mariana did have to force herself to not look down. One by one, the adults followed suit and made it across, until Javier was the last one to go. As he began to swing, the inevitable happened, as the propeller finally broke from the strain of so much use after years of rusting in the elements.

"Javi!" Kate called, as he held on for dear life.

"Javi, hang on!" David shouted.

Javier assessed the situation, then started to climb back up. However, he encountered half of a walker, that had been dangling from a chord of some sort for years. Thinking fast, he shoved the walker, sending it swinging into a part of the bridge, impaling it. The delay over, he resumed his climb and finally reached the top, and climbed to safety. After letting Javier catch his breath, they continued on their way.

"I miss when all we did was track the herd," Javier said, as they looked down at the motor pool lot. "From a safe distance."

"We need to get down there," Kate said. "We're not getting anywhere without one of those vehicles."

"It's not like we can ask them to move," David said, with a slightly humorous tone.

"How about distracting them with noise," Gabe suggested. "That generator by the building should be enough."

"That's a good idea," Javier said. "Problem is getting to it."

"I have a solution for that," Jeff replied.

"And what's that?" David asked.

Jeff and Clementine gave each other a look that told the others they were thinking the exact same thing.

"Would one of you mind filling us in?" Kate asked.

"Cut open a walker and use its guts to cover yourself in their scent," Clementine replied.

"That's disgusting," Mariana said.

"It is," Jeff replied. "But it works. Clem and I have used that trick several times to get through herds, without having to fight our way out."

"If it works," David said.

"So...who's going to do it?" Clementine asked.

"I'll go," Jeff said. "Best let an expert handle it."

"Expert?" Clementine asked, in a teasing tone. "Remember, I'm the one who taught you that...when I was _nine_."

"Yeah, yeah," Jeff replied, sarcastically.

Moving slowly, he climbed down and snuck over to a dumpster. Looking from behind it, he spotted an easy kill.

"Guess you'll do," he said.

Acting with stealth, he took his knife out and stabbed the walker in the head, before dragging it out of sight of the others. He then cut it open and began covering himself in the horrible smell. In all the years he'd been surviving, he never managed to get used to it. Finally feeling confident he was well covered, he stood up and slowly began walking into the small gathering before him. Carefully, he navigated his way around them and reached the generator. Opening the hatch, he found the on button and pressed it, before quickly clearing out of the immediate area. As expected, the walkers were attracted to the new sound and went toward it, clearing a path for the rest of the group. Once they were all at the garage, they began to sort out what to do next.

"We need something that will take all the muertos out," Javier said.

"We have a breach to seal, first," Kate replied."All we need is to find the right vehicle."

Turning, she spotting the bulldozer that had been there the night before.

"That'll do," she said.

Jeff, Javier and the kids agreed. David, however, was eyeing the pickup truck nearby.

"That's not gonna do the job," Javier said.

"Yes it is," David replied.

"What are you doing?" Jeff asked.

"The right thing," David replied. "I'm leaving. We're all leaving."

"What?" Javier asked. "And go where? You saw it yourself, we're surrounded by the herd!"

"I'm getting my family out of here," David replied. "Clem and Jeff, you helped keep them safe. You're coming, too. Let's go, everyone!"

"If we leave, everyone here will die!" Jeff said. "I would've saved Ida for nothing! Her last memories will be dying beside her mother, with walkers eating them alive! Is THAT what you want?"

"They don't matter, anymore," David replied, as he raised his voice. "Don't you get it?"

"This all started when we knocked on Richmond's door," Kate said, walking up to David. "We're all to blame. We can't just abandon them, after all we've done!"

David pinched the bridge of his nose, in frustration.

"We're going home, Kate," he said. "Back to the last place we were a family. We're starting over. We're finally all back together. It's time."

"Home is gone!" Mariana snapped. "We can't go back!"

"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady," David warned.

"Lay off, David," Javier said. "She's right. Home is gone, just like everything else."

"I thought you guys were gone, once," David replied. "But I was wrong. Maybe you're wrong, too."

"I'll go with you, dad," Gabe said, shocking everyone but David.

"Gabe…"Clementine said.

"He's my dad, Clem," Gabe replied. "I'm sorry, but… you really wouldn't understand."

"Think about this, Gabe," Javier said.

"Is this really what you want?" Kate asked.

"I know it's scary out there, but… I have to," Gabe replied.

"Come on, Mariana," David said, reaching a hand to his daughter. "We're going home."

Mariana looked from her dad to her uncle several times, unsure what to do. Finally, she sighed and reluctantly went to join her brother at David's side.

"Mari? You too?" Javier asked, clearly hurt.

"I'm sorry," was all she could say.

"I-I understand, kids," Kate said. "But… I'm still going back to help. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't try to help the people of Richmond."

"You won't be able to live at all, if you do that," David scoffed. "Richmond is compromised. It doesn't matter if it's seven of us trying to save it or seven hundred. We'd all die. I know a losing battle, when I see one. We're moving out. Everybody in. That an ord-" SMACK!

Kate slapped David hard, across his face and glared at him.

"How ******* dare you?" Kate said. "What's it gonna take, David? What will it take to show you that you do not get to do that?! We are not your soldiers! Run away. Be a deserter. I am done with you!" She slowly backed up. "Let's go, Javi."

"Why the **** do you think he would go with you?" David asked.

Kate answered by kissing Javier on the lips, in front of everyone. David was in disbelief.

"What the *** is this?!" he asked.

"I love her, David," Javier replied. "We're… in love."

Instantly, anger boiled inside David, as he realized what was happening. Balling up his fists, he let out his anger hate, vocally.

"I should've know, the night Pa died," he said. "When you weren't there. Blood is worthless to you. Just like he was to you. Just like I am to you! Well it's time for you to learn what blood really means!"

With that, he swung his fist and hit Javier's face hard.

"David! Dad!"

Javier staggered back from the blow, as David approached him again.

"What do you have to say for yourself… brother?" he asked.

"I love you, brother," Javier replied, catching David off guard.

"No…" he said, shaking the shock away. "No, you don't get to say that!"

He swung again and again, while his family, Jeff and Clementine pleaded for him to stop. He refused to stop, however, grabbing a pipe wrench and hitting him harder.

"How ******* dare you!" he said.

"I love you," Javier repeated.

"Stop saying that!"

"Dad, no!" Mariana cried, trying to stop him.

David ignored her and swung back, to hit his brother again, only to wack his daughter in her face.

"Mari!" Gabe called, as he and Kate ran to her.

"You're not taking my family from me!" David declared, as he began to use the wreck to suffocate Javier.

"I love you, brother," Javier said, as he felt himself lose consciousness.

Suddenly, David was shot in his shoulder, forcing him to roll off Javier. He looked up to see Clementine holding a gun to him, then turn it to kill a walker that had nearly snuck up on them, while the fight was happening.

Their quarrels temporarily forgotten, David and Javier worked together to take down a few walkers before Kate called them all to the garage. Once inside, Jeff, Clementine, Kate and Javier turned in time to see David grabe the door, from the outside, and pull it down.

"What the **** is he doing?" Javier asked, in shock.

No one had an answer, as they watched David put the kids in the pickup truck and take off in a hurry, leaving walkers trying in vain to follow.

"David took them," Clementine said.

"We can't wait any longer," Kate announced. "We have to go help Richmond." She walked over to the door. "I'm getting on that bulldozer."

"But Gabe!" Clementine objected.

"Gabe wanted to go," Kate replied. "We all heard it. Add to that the fact that Mari decided to go."

"You're- you're right," Clementine said.

"I'm getting on that bulldozer," Kate said.

"I'll help," Jeff replied.

"Me too," Clementine said. "Javi, you should take the motorcycle behind me and go after them."

"Promise me you'll get her back to me, once Richmond is saved," JAvier said.

"Don't worry," Jeff replied. "We'll make sure you lovebirds will be reunited."

"Thank you," Javier said. "Now, let's get this done."

Jeff went to the nearby lockers and picked up a couple of automatic weapons.

"We'll need these, Clem," he said, tossing one to his friend.

The plan set, everyone ran to their respective vehicles and set to work.

 **I know, I'm terrible. As if making Joan more sadistic was bad enough, now David's worse, too?**

 **That said, only a couple more chapters to go, before this one ends and I take a break from this storyline.**

 **See you in the next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Yeah...about there being two chapters left... I decided to merge them into one, since there was no point in divinging them into such short chapters. Anyway, the conclusion to this part of the story of Jeff and Clem is here. I hope you enjoy.**

 **End of the Madness**

It didn't take long for Kate, Jeff, and Clementine to reach the main gate, where they found three men on horses taking out walkers with swords. As they approached, Jeff gasped as he recognized one of them.

"There's a happy sight," Said Jesus, as he spotted them. "Can you help us get the gate open?"

"That armor makes you almost unrecognizable, Jesus," Jeff replied.

"Once I got in contact with my people, I came right back," Jesus said. "Had to make sure you folks were safe."

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Kate said, interrupting the conversation.

"We'll keep the walkers away, Jeff replied. "Just get me to the gate, so I can open it up."

Working together, Jeff and Clementine gunned down several walkers, before they reached the gate.

"We're almost there," Kate announced. "Jeff, get into the busket and I'll lift you up!"

"Busket?" Jeff asked.

"The bucket or whatever you wanna call it," Kate replied.

Taking out a few more walkers, Jeff carefully jumped into the bucket in front and Kate hoisted him up to the gate controls. Once he was safely on the walkway, he climbed the ladder to the controls and set to work trying to figure out which was the right button.

"Why couldn't these be labelled?" he asked himself.

Finally, he found the right one and pushed it, with the gate rising immediately.

"Thanks, Jeff!" Jesus called, as he lead his people inside.

Inside the gate, Jeff, Clementine and Kate watched in amazement as Jesus and company cut down walker after walker, with ease. Meanwhile, more walkers stood in their path, as they continued toward the breach. Unfortunately for the walkers, they weren't going to get the chance to try to get their next meal, as they were crushed beneath the large tires of the bulldozer. As they rounded a corner, they saw a large number of walkers that had just entered the city.

"Full steam ahead, Kate," Jeff said.

Kate didn't hesitate as she pushed through the herd, determined to complete her mission. As they went, Clementine and Jeff switched their guns from semi- to full automatic and unloaded on the herd, gunning down dozens of walkers in the process. However, this wouldn't last as they soon ran out of bullets. Thinking fast, Jeff pulled out the handgun he'd found with the other guns and took out the ones that had collected on the bucket.

"Here," Kate said. "Give me the gun and take over. We need to seal the breach with the truck."

Jeff was confused, until he saw the armored truck, still resting where it had crashed. Working quickly, he switched places with Kate and quickly familiarized himself with the controls. He drove up to the truck, then carefully lifted it up, noticing the strain it put on the arms of the bulldozer, as he did so. A few careful maneuvers later, he was at the breach, while more walkers fell to the handguns Kate and Clementine now held.

"I hope this works," he said.

With a quick move of a lever, the truck dropped and surprisingly fell right into place. Not wanting to chance it, he made sure the bulldozer was firmly against the armored truck, before hopping out.

"Time to go," he told the other two, who quickly followed him.

As they walked, he spotted something on the ground.

"Aha!" he said. "Found you, at last!"

"Found what?" Kate asked.

Jeff answered by showing off an automatic gun that bore no resemblance to anything they had seen New Frontier using.

"He found his favorite gun" Clementine said, as she smiled.

Their task complete, they walked over to where Jesus and his people were still rounding up and slaying walkers, and watched for a moment. Spotting them, Jesus stopped.

"Welcome back," Jeff said.

"Where's Javi?" Jesus asked.

"He went after David and the kids," Kate replied. "He'll be back soon."

"I see," Jesus said. "Well… I thought we were coming back to..well not this. Just surprising, is all."

"We're just glad you didn't give up on us," Jeff replied.

"I gave you all my word," Jesus said.

Kate suddenly noticed movement beyond Jeff and pointed.

"There he is!" she said.

Sure enough, there was Javier, helping Mariana support Gabe, as they walked.

"Gabe!" Clementine called, as she ran to him.

"Are they…" Kate began to ask, seeing the injuries on the kids.

"They're fine," Javier replied. "Just banged up. But David is...is gone. I couldn't save him."

"I knew he'd get himself killed, acting so recklessly," Jeff said. "At least he didn't get his kids killed, too."

"I barely saved them in time," Javier replied. "Gabe was trying so hard to keep the muertos away from his sister, but… it wasn't enough."

"I was ready to die for her," Gabe added. "But Uncle Javi came just in time."

"He had to put dad down," Mariana said. "He'd turned and would've killed us, if Gabe hadn't stopped him."

Immediately, she broke down and cried on Kate's shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Mari," Kate said, in a comforting tone.

After a few moments of comforting the pair, Javier and Kate asked Jeff and Clementine to take them somewhere safe, while they went to say goodbye to David.

Three days later, they gathered in the church, where a memorial wall had been set up, for those lost in the chaos and destruction. Despite his earlier objections, Javier took the photo they had of David and placed it in an empty spot, hearing his niece and nephew fighting back the urge to cry, as he did so. Backing up, he rejoined them, as well as Kate, Jeff, and Conrad. Fern and Ida were also there, to say their final goodbyes to Rufus, before doing as he would've wanted and try to keep living.

"He brought this on himself," Kate said, in reference to David.

"As much as I miss him," Javier replied. "It's time to move on."

They continued to talks, as eff slowly walked up to the wall and found a small spot that hadn't been filled. There, he tacked a list of the ten children Badger had killed in front of him and placed his hand on it.

"You have been avenged," he said, softly. "Rest in peace, now."

Slowly, he lowered his hand and turned to walk away… only to nearly run into one of the last people he had successfully saved.

"Did you get to say goodbye?" Ida asked.

"Yes I did," Jeff replied, as he lowered himself to her level. "Those kids can rest easy, now that their killers are gone."

"D-did those things get them?" she asked.

"No," Jeff replied. "Badger did. He wasn't as nice as most of the people here are."

"Well," Fern said, before her daughter could ask anymore questions. "At least he's been taken care of."

"It's the only thing I can thank Joan for," Jeff replied, as he stood back up. "She killed him to fuel her lies about David."

"I'm just glad we can put all of this behind us," Conrad said, as he joined the conversation.

They talked for a little longer before Jeff and Conrad dismissed themselves, with Jeff walking outside, where Javier and Jesus were talking, as the latter prepared to leave. As he walked, he spotted Clementine and walker over to her, meeting Javier on the way. As quickly as they met up, they all saw Doctor Lingard walking and hurried to catch him.

"You're alive," Jeff said.

"Thanks to you," Lingard replied. "Thank you for motivating me to keep living. It wasn't easy to accept, but you were right. I do still have a purpose here and I'm going to fulfill it."

"That's good to hear," Javier said.

"It sure is," Clementine echoed. "But we still need to know where AJ and Abby are."

"Oh yeah," Lingard said. "I did promise to tell you, once the mess with Joan was over."

"Well?" Jeff asked, impatiently.

"They're at McCarroll Ranch," Lingard replied. "It's not too far from here."

"Thank you," Clementine said.

With a nod, Lingard dismissed himself and made his way back to the hospital, to check on the survivors who needed him.

"Guess this means you two are gone, too," Javier said.

"It's time," Jeff said. "We need to get to them. The sooner, the better."

"I understand that," Jasvier replied.

"Could you do me one last favor, before we leave, Javi?" Clementine asked.

"Sure," Javier replied, as they began to walk away from the fountain.

Moments later, Jeff watched as Javier gave an effort to give Clementine a haircut.

"Been a while since I've had to do this," Javier said. "Mari hasn't needed one in a while."

"I'm sure she appreciates it, whenever she needs it," Clementine replied.

"She thinks I'm terrible at it," Javier said.

"Were you?" Clementine asked.

"None of your business," Javier replied, trying not to laugh.

"Sounds like I should've done it," Jeff teased.

"Hey, now," Javier replied. "I thought we were friends."

Jeff just smiled.

"I'm gonna miss Gabe," Clementine admitted. "I mean, he's super annoying, sometimes, but… I've gotten used to having him around."

"Not that he said anything to me, in particular," Javier replied. "But, he's got a mondo crush on you."

"He does not!" Clementine said, blushing.

"Oh my gosh," Jeff said. "You have one on him too."

"I'm gonna stab you both with those scissors," she replied.

"Whatever you say, Clem," Jeff said, trying hard not to laugh.

There was a moment of silence, before anyone spoke again.

"Do you think AJ remembers me?" Clementine asked.

"Who could forget you?" Javier asked.

"I know I never will," Jeff replied.

"You've been with me for years, Jeff," she said. "Of course you won't."

"Wait- who are you?" Jeff replied, in a teasing tone.

"Very funny," Clementine said, trying not to laugh.

As the haircut continued, Jeff began to think back to one of the first things he had done, after meeting her, and smiled.

"What's got you smiling," Javier asked.

"Just remembering the first time I cut her hair, when she was nine," Jeff replied.

"You told me I needed to be safe," Clementine added. "And my hair, back then, wasn't safe at all."

"I was right, wasn't I?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "You were. All those lessons you taught kept AJ and I alive during that time we were separated."

"Guess it goes to show that if you listen to instruction, you'll go far," Javier said.

Jeff and Clementine nodded in agreement, as Javier finished the cut.

"All done," he said, as Clementine stood up.

Jeff's jaw dropped. This was the first time in years he had seen his friend without her trademark pigtails he had put her hair in, after they met, and he was amazed at how she looked. Javier, however, wasn't convinced he had done a good job.

"You know what," he said. "I'll get your hat."

Clementine's smile faded fast, as Jeff walked up to her.

"I think you look great," he said.

"Thanks," she replied, as she put her hat back on.

After some brief chatter about baseball, the pair headed for the gate.

The gate opened as Jeff and Clementine stepped outside, followed by the Garcias.

"Well," Jeff began. "This is it."

Clementine immediately walked over to Gabe and hugged him, then gave a nod to Javier, Kate, and Mariana.

"Bring them back," Javier said.

"We intend to," Jeff replied.

Goodbyes were exchanged, and the team left Richmond behind.

The sun had just begun to set as Jeff and Clementine made their way out of the railroad tunnel they had gone to Richmond through, before. Once outside again, they spotted several walkers on the bridge before them and swiftly took them out with their knives, before finding their way to the ground below. Once off the bridge, they jumped from the portal of the road tunnel onto a garbage truck and onto the asphalt. Quickly recovering from the landing, they spot more walkers heading for them. Without thinking, they pulled out their guns and opened fire on the small herd, killing them in seconds. They re-holstered their weapons and continued on.

"I hope they're there," Clementine said.

"They'll be there," Jeff replied. "We'll find them."

Clementine smiled at her friend, before they both returned their attention to the kids waiting for them at the end of the road.

 **Jeff and Clementine will return in the next story...**

 **And that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this story. I will be working on the next one, soon, but I have to get the first story in this timeline fixed up, as I didn't take the time to properly write it out, the first time. This means taking the old version down and replacing it, chapter by chapter, with the updated version. Once complete, anyone who started with this story or "We're a Team" (the second story) can go back and read it, to see why some parts don't quite match up with how Season one actually went. As for the 4th and (most likely) final story, I won't be waiting for Season 4's release to write it, as I made my own story up months ago. So keep an eye out, because that'll be here before you know it. Until then, have a great day.**


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